Christabel -
The precious friend of a lonely little girl from an old English manor on the edge of an ancient wood . . .
A child born in tragedy, raised in love, encircled by the Australian rainforest . . .
The heroine of a magical children's book, favoured for a time but then forgotten . . .
***
When Australian publisher Bel Wilder travels to a quiet Cotswold village to meet the reclusive author Iris Archer, she hopes to gain the rights to a lost classic fairy story. But Iris at her writing desk, with its view of Aroford Manor and the beautiful, wooded estate beyond, has no intention of agreeing. The Blackbird's Tale hides an old secret, and Iris alone knows that deep within the woods, a neglected cottage once bore witness to a terrible act of violence.
Yet unseen threads connect us all in unexpected ways, and as Iris is forced to confront her haunting memories from a distant time, she comes to suspect that Bel Wilder might be the one person able to help her finally understand what really happened in the woods so late, so very long ago.
Spanning decades and crossing continents, CHRISTABEL is a luminous constellation of a novel about unlikely friendships, the enduring magic of the natural world, and the power of the stories we tell to hide - and ultimately reveal - the truth. It is Kate Morton writing at the pinnacle of her storytelling powers.