East of the Shadows

"East of the Shadows" by Hubert Barclay is a story that follows Philippa Harford, a young woman figuring out who she is and how she fits in with the people around her while also looking at big ideas like love and wanting something you can’t seem to have. The story kicks off with Philippa going to see a friend, but her arrival stirs up old feelings and memories, especially for a man named Francis Heathcote who is still hung up on a past love. We learn about Philippa's character through her thoughts and feelings as she travels, thinking about her childhood and the loss of her father, and the contrast between her quiet personality and her mother’s more outgoing nature. When she gets to Bessacre, she meets a puzzling man who thinks she is someone from his past, suddenly involving her in his deeply emotional history of lost love and longing as the story moves forward.