This one is for my son, Tucker. It seems like only a few years ago I could hold you in my arms. Now we’re touring colleges and talking about your future. I am so proud of the boy you were and the man you are becoming. Soon you will be leaving your dad and me to find your own way in the world. Know that whatever you do, wherever you go, we will always love you.
Acknowledgments
Several people were instrumental in the writing of this novel. Thanks go out to: Lindsey Brooks, investigative manager/case management department, Child Quest International; Luana S. Burnett, police services officer, city of Newport, Washington; Kany Levine, criminal defense attorney and friend; and Kim Fisk and Megan Chance, who both helped more than they know.
MAGIC HOUR
KRISTIN HANNAH
A Reader’s Guide
A CONVERSATION WITH
KRISTIN HANNAH
Random House Reader’s Circle: What inspired you to write this story?
Kristin Hannah: Magic Hour is a rare thing for me: a story inspired by actual events—with my spin on them, of course. One day, when I was reading the newspaper, I came across a local story that immediately captivated me. Two young men (in their early teens) had walked out of the deep woods one day and claimed that they’d never seen civilization before. This took place on rugged Vancouver Island. The townspeople immediately flocked around the boys, took them in, and provided them with everything they needed. Well, it turned out that the boys were actually runaways from Southern California and it was all a big hoax. But the seed was planted for me. I know these forests well, you see, and I know that it’s entirely possible to live completely off the grid in that green darkness. One day, I found myself thinking of a little girl with no name …
RHRC: I read somewhere that Magic Hour is one of your favorite books. Why?
KH: The answer to that is easy: Alice. I have written a lot of characters over the years, but few of them have stayed with me the way that Alice has. I fell in love with everything about her—the way she perceived the world, her remarkable courage and strength, her capacity to love. I did a lot of research on feral and abused children in the creation of Alice, and honestly, the stories of these children were absolutely heartbreaking. I felt a real burden to make Alice true to her circumstances and yet give her the tools for a normal life.
RHRC: How did you get into the character of a little “wild” girl?
KH: The key to Alice was a combination of research and insight. I read countless terrible stories of similarly situated children, many of which were tragic. By the conclusion of the research, I really felt that I understood her psyche as much as an outsider can. Once I knew what was “normal,” I began to inhabit Alice, to see the world in the way that she would, to “start over,” in a way. I tended to think of Alice as a visitor from another place, another world. I think that was the key to understanding her. Julia’s job, therefore, was to teach Alice how to be of this world and not detached from it.
RHRC: This book has so many moving scenes and touching moments that are sure to stay with a reader for a long time. Do you have a favorite moment in this book?
KH: Actually, I do have a favorite moment in the book. It’s the scene in the back garden at night, when Julia takes Alice outside for the first time. There, Alice howls like a wolf in pain and perfectly imitates the sounds of other animals. I loved this idea that Alice was more a part of the natural world than the civilized one. I remembered the whole Locke/Rousseau debate on the nature of man from my college days, and I called upon that for a great deal of Alice’s creation. I particularly loved the semi-magic of the birds coming to Alice.
RHRC: Julia and Alice bond with each other over classic books: The Secret Garden, Alice in Wonderland, The Velveteen Rabbit. Were these some of your favorite books as a child? Were you a voracious reader as a child?
KH: I think most authors were voracious readers as children, and I am no exception. The Secret Garden was one of my childhood favorites, but I had never read The Velveteen Rabbit until I began Magic Hour.
RHRC: Did George Azelle want Alice back to prove his innocence or because he loved and missed her? What was more important to him?