Chapter 19

Summary

• The chapter is set in March 1960 where Peggy and her mother Linda have a light dinner of roasted chicken and asparagus.
• Peggy is preoccupied with thoughts, relating to a mysterious phone call she received, which makes her ponder the origin of her story.
• Her background is in mythology and fairy tales, but Peggy struggles to understand her own life's desires and motivations.
• Peggy is troubled by the thought of why she fears the answer to the question about her story's origins.
• During dinner, a storm rages outside, and Peggy helps her mother with the dishes after their meal.
• Peggy asks her mother about the creation of Whisperwood and learns they made it up to comfort her after her father's death.
• Linda, Peggy's mother, explains that Whisperwood was a collective creation by her, Peggy, and Aunt Maria, which evolved over time.
• After reading and discussing the day's pages, Peggy lies awake in bed, filled with restless energy from the storm.
• Peggy reflects on her unchanged bedroom and blurry memories of her past life in California.
• She contemplates her lack of thought about the origins of Whisperwood, a world of stories created after her father died.
• During the night, unable to sleep because of the storm, Peggy retrieves a crumpled paper with Hazel Linden's phone number from the trash.
• She hides the paper beneath her mattress, comparing it to the fairy tale of the princess and the pea, feeling its presence even though it’s a small object under her many layers of comfort.