The Book of Hidden Wonders
A Novel
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4.3 • 3 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A charming, deeply imaginative debut novel about a young girl who is immortalized in her father’s illustrated books containing clues to their family secrets.
Romilly Kemp and her eccentric painter father have happy but sheltered lives in a ramshackle mansion in the English countryside. When her father finds fame with a series of children’s books starring Romilly as the main character, everything changes: exotic foods appear on the table, her father appears on TV and strangers appear at their door, convinced the books will lead them to a precious prize.
But as time passes, Romilly’s father becomes increasingly suspicious of the outside world until, before her eyes, he begins to disappear within himself. She returns to his illustrations, looking for a way to connect with her ailing father, and finds a series of clues he’s left just for her. This treasure hunt doesn’t lead her to gold or jewels, but something worth far more—a shocking secret that is crucial to understanding her family.
Written with tremendous heart and charisma, The Book of Hidden Wonders is an unforgettable story about growing up, facing mortality and discovering the hidden wonders that make us who we are.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Crosby's moody, richly detailed debut tracks a girl's coming-of-age in Britain's Suffolk countryside while struggling to piece together her family history. Towards the end of the 1980s, Romilly Kemp, eight, moves with her father, Tobias, to Bra r, an old, moldering farmhouse complete with a moat and a gargoyle protruding from the water. Romilly and Tobias have been on their own since her mother left when Romilly was four, and now her father has abandoned his teaching position in London to write and illustrate a children's book series starring a version of Romilly. Tobias's young readers are drawn to Bra r, believing his books contain clues to a buried treasure. Over the next seven years, Romilly, in the company of her friend Stacey, attempts to make sense of the past through her own interpretation of the book's clues, such as a drawing of Romilly with a mole placed on the wrong side of her face. A series of discoveries makes Romilly rethink everything she thought she had known about her family. While few readers are likely to be surprised by the plot reveals, such as Stacey's true nature, Romilly is a spunky and sympathetic character, and Crosby weaves a magical spell in which dark-edged fantasy collides with everyday life. This is a worthy twist on the haunted house story.
