About The Book

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“Brilliant, riveting, so beautifully written, impossible to put down.” —Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Inspired by a true literary mystery, the New York Times bestselling author of the mesmerizing The Secret Book of Flora Lea returns with the sweeping story of a legendary book, a lost mother, and a daughter’s search for them both.

In 1927, eight-year-old Clara Harrington’s magical childhood shatters when her mother, renowned author, Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham, vanishes off the coast of South Carolina. Bronwyn stunned the world with a book written in an invented language that became a national sensation when she was just twelve years old. Her disappearance leaves behind not only a devoted husband and heartbroken daughter, but also the hope of ever translating the sequel to her landmark work. As the headlines focus on the missing author, Clara yearns for something far deeper and more insatiable: her beloved mother.

By 1952, Clara is an illustrator raising her own daughter, Wynnie. When a stranger named Charlie Jameson contacts her from London claiming to have discovered a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost language. Clara is skeptical. Compelled by the tragedy of her mother’s disappearance, she crosses the Atlantic with Wynnie only to arrive during one of London’s most deadly natural disasters—the Great Smog. With asthmatic Wynnie in peril, they escape the city with Charlie and find refuge in the Jameson’s family retreat nestled in the Lake District. It is there that Clara must find the courage to uncover the truth about her mother and the story she left behind.

“Graceful in its telling and so very wise in its insights, The Story She Left Behind is a book that will capture your heart, lift your spirits, and delight your soul” (William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author).

About The Author

Photography by Liesa Cole Photography

Patti Callahan Henry is the New York Times bestselling author of nineteen novels. She is also a podcast host of original content and the cohost and cocreator of the popular weekly online Friends and Fiction live web show and podcast. Published in over twenty languages, her work has also been in numerous anthologies, articles, an audible original, and short story collections. Once a pediatric clinical nurse specialist she now writes full time in Mountain Brook, Alabama. She is married to Pat Henry, the mother of three, and a grandmother of three. 

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster (March 18, 2025)
  • Length: 352 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781668023167

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Raves and Reviews

“It is brilliant, riveting, so beautifully written, impossible to put down.  I wanted to know, needed to know, about the strange manuscript left to a daughter, and the odyssey it sent her on.”
LOUISE PENNY, New York Times bestselling author of The Grey Wolf

“Once again, Patti Callahan Henry proves that she is a magician with words. In her newest novel, she conjures a story that is a lovely mix of so many elements sure to please her universe of readers, a magical mosaic of adventure, suspense, romance, mystery, and even a sprinkle of make-believe. Graceful in its telling and so very wise in its insights, The Story She Left Behind is a book that will capture your heart, lift your spirits, and delight your soul.”
WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER, New York Times bestselling author of Spirit Crossing

“The spectacular Patti Callahan Henry is at the height of her literary powers with The Story She Left Behind. Bronwyn's story, steeped in secrets and an unsolved family mystery is emotional and atmospheric. The author paints the dual settings, languid South Carolina in America and the haunting Lake District of England, with colour and veracity. This mother daughter story is one for the ages.”
ADRIANA TRIGIANI, bestselling author of The Good Left Undone

The Story She Left Behind is an intriguing novel that reminds us that the power of love and the power of words are one and the same. Patti Callahan Henry introduces us to a missing mother, her grieving daughter, and their entwined, unforgettable journeys. Inspired by an unsolved literary mystery, and layered with magical storytelling it is both real and imaginative—in the way of all great fiction. Not to be missed!”
ARIEL LAWHON, New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and The Frozen River

“Patti Callahan Henry’s engaging, compassionate new novel honours the magical way words and stories create meaning in our often messy lives. Rooted in vivid landscapes, endearing characters, and an intriguing mystery inspired by actual historical events, The Story She Left Behind offers something for every reader. Book clubs will delight in this celebration of family, hope, forgiveness, and the tender generosity of abiding love.”
SHELLEY READ, international bestselling author of Go as a River

Praise for The Secret Book of Flora Lea

“In this gorgeous ode to books and storytellers, Patti Callahan Henry shows that literature lives inside us and can unite us despite the odds. Through war, young love, a sister’s remorse, and a mysterious land called Whisperwood, I was torn between savoring each word and tearing through the pages to learn what happened next. Pure magic!”
— JANET SKESLIEN CHARLESNew York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library

“[A] bittersweet tale of loss, destiny, and the strings of deep love that bind us together across the years. The terror and heartbreak of the World War II children’s evacuation of London collide with the dangling threads of an unsolved mystery that picks up nearly two decades later at the dawn of the Swinging Sixties. This heartrending, captivating tale of family, first love, and fate will sweep you away.”
— KRISTIN HARMELNew York Times bestselling author of The Paris Daughter and The Forest of Vanishing Stars

“Affecting . . . Henry’s offering shines most in its exploration of the ways relationships grow and adapt to time and trauma, making for a poignant meditation on the bonds of sisterhood. This captivates.”
Publishers Weekly

“A spellbinding tale of hope and perseverance . . . as enchanting and whimsical as the Whisperwood fairy tale hidden within its pages. It reminds us that a happily-ever-after isn’t out of reach—so long as we heed the tiny voice within, whispering that the real magic of the story may be closer than we think.”
— SARAH PENNERNew York Times bestselling author of The London Séance Society and The Lost Apothecary

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