The Story She Left Behind

February 1, 2025
A woman travels from South Carolina to London to try to translate a book written by her long-lost mother. In 1952, Clara Harrington, a divorc�e with a young daughter, is an elementary school art teacher and children's book illustrator who's recently won the Caldecott Medal; despite her good life, she's haunted by the 1927 disappearance of her mother, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham. Bronwyn, who had written a bestselling book in her own unique language as a child, vanished on the night the family house caught fire, killing a fireman and injuring the 8-year-old Clara. Now Clara receives a call from a man named Charlie Jameson, who, while cleaning out his late father's library in London, found a set of papers marked "For Clara Harrington only," with her address and phone number attached, and a note saying they must be delivered in person. They include a dictionary that Clara immediately realizes could be used to translate her mother's sequel, written in the odd language she had made up. Charlie invites Clara to his family home in London, but upon arriving with her asthmatic daughter, Wynnie, the Great Smog of 1952 forces the trio to the Lake District. There, Clara uncovers connections she didn't expect: Eliza Walker, the author for whom she has illustrated numerous books without ever meeting, lives in the area and turns out to have adapted her mother's first book into a play. Clara becomes convinced that the Lake District holds more answers to the mystery of her mother's disappearance. Though the setup is intriguing, the novel is overly long and meandering and fails to provide satisfying answers to the mysteries at its heart. This novel will leave readers wishing for more.

COPYRIGHT(2025) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 1, 2025
Clara's mother, Bronwyn, was best known as a child prodigy who created her own language and wrote a best-selling children's book. However, she was never able to produce the anticipated sequel. By 1927, when Clara is eight years old, Bronwyn is overwhelmed by the world around her and disappears from their South Carolina home. Twenty-five years later, in London, Charlie is going through his recently deceased father's library when he comes across a satchel containing an envelope for Clara, to be delivered in person. Still heavily carrying the weight of losing her mother, Clara agrees to go to London with her own young daughter. She is thrilled to finally have her mother's lost papers, but the more time she spends with Charlie, the more connections she uncovers between his family and hers. Inspired by a true story, and enhanced by vivid descriptions of character and setting, this is a somewhat whimsical tale of a woman drawn to her imaginary world who fiercely loved her family, as well as an exploration of the hard choices that tear families apart and the love that sustains them.

COPYRIGHT(2025) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.