Books

The Magical Garden of Lucinda Mae follows Mae, a Midwestern millennial woman finding herself at the end of a job and relationship when she suddenly discovers that the dreamy small town from her grandmother’s short stories she previously thought to be fictional is very much a real town just a few hours away. Drawn by intrigue and a nagging feeling of synchronicity that this piece of information found her at a time when a distinct chapter of her life has ended, Mae sets off to move to the town.

Mae soon discovers the garden at her rented house is more than a green respite—it allows her to see and speak to her dead grandmother, Lucy. Before long, Mae shares the magic of the garden with newly-formed friends to speak to their lost loved ones too. While Mae works to restore the garden and the garden works to restore broken hearts, the puzzle pieces of the story come together through both Mae's perspective and her grandmother Lucy's. Lucy grew up in the house that Mae now finds herself in, though she left at a young age after marrying a warm body to satisfy her angry and grieving mother after her own husband's death. During Lucy's time in the house, she discovered the magic of the garden, and it helped her move past her father's death.

The climax comes when after an unusually dry summer, a child's firework sets the garden ablaze, burning it to the ground and with it, the hope of connecting with those already passed. That is, until Mae's new community comes together to help her rebuild it, helping her realize that the magic of the garden wasn't the garden at all, it was in her and her ability to connect with Lucy was never diminished. 

Follow Mae on this braided family narrative that is equal parts small-town charm and deep sentimentality as she discovers by whom and why she was drawn to this place, and watch as she explores her connection to nature, love, and the meaning of it all.