Twenty years after the disappearance of her younger sister, Flora, the book of Whisperwood comes across Hazel’s desk at work. Considering the only person who knows about Whisperwood is her long-gone sister, Hazel immediately tries to track down its author, whom she hopes—somehow—is Flora. 

 

Toggling between WWII and the 1960’s, the reader is front row to fourteen year-old Hazel and five-year old Flora as they evacuate war-torn London and adult Hazel as she reels at the possibility of Flora still being alive. 

 

I picked up this book blind and wanted to love it. It’s historical fiction, whimsy, and centers around the magic of storytelling. Despite wanting to know how everything works out, I just wasn’t invested in the characters as much as I expected to be. Perhaps it was because the lead-up was way too slow, or how it felt just a tad too long. Either way, it was a great display of the love between two close-knit sisters, how storytelling can change the trajectory of your life, and reconciling with loss.