The Story Collector

Evie Woods’s dual-timeline novel The Story Collector (2024) incorporates elements of fantasy and historical folklore into a work of literary fiction. In 2010, American artist Sarah Harper is reeling from a personal tragedy and the collapse of her marriage when she impulsively flees to a small village in County Clare, Ireland. There, hidden inside a hollow tree, she discovers a tin box containing the 100-year-old diary of Anna Butler, a young woman whose life became entangled with the dark secrets of a wealthy local family and the fairies of Irish folklore. As Sarah immerses herself in Anna’s story, she begins a journey of recovery, connection, and self-discovery. Thematically, the novel explores The Healing Power of Storytelling, The Interplay of Fate and Personal Agency, and The Lingering Influence of the Past on the Present.

Woods lives on the west coast of Ireland and is known for writing stories that blur the line between reality and the supernatural. Her breakout novel, The Lost Bookshop, was an international bestseller and was shortlisted for a British Book Award, establishing her reputation for weaving together historical mysteries and supernatural elements. The Story Collector, originally self-published under Woods’s real name, Evie Gaughan, was re-released to a wider audience following the success of The Lost Bookshop. The Story Collector’s historical plotline is set during the Edwardian era, a period of heightened interest in Irish folklore or the “Fairy Faith.” This context is central to the story, which grounds its supernatural elements in real-world class tensions between the Anglo-Irish gentry and local Irish communities, and directly references historical events like the infamous 1895 case of Bridget Cleary, who was killed by a husband who claimed she was a fairy changeling.

This guide refers to the 2024 One More Chapter paperback edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of death, child death, animal cruelty and death, death by suicide, graphic violence, sexual violence and harassment, physical abuse, child abuse, pregnancy loss, animal cruelty and death, mental illness, and substance use.

Plot Summary

The narrative opens with the local legend of Thornwood House, which is built in 1882 on land cleared of ancient woodland. Ignoring a local seeress’s warning, the English owner, Lord Hawley, cuts down a sacred hawthorn “fairy tree” to make way for his estate. Misfortune follows when, after the birth of twins, Lady Hawley becomes convinced that her children are changelings left in place of her human children by fairies who kidnapped her twins as revenge for the destruction of the tree—a belief that drives her to die by suicide.

In New York on Christmas Day 2010, Sarah Harper separates from her husband, Jack, after years of emotional distance following an unspoken tragedy that she calls “The Big Bad Thing” (8). At Newark Airport, Sarah dreads boarding her plane to Boston, Massachusetts, to stay with her sister, Meghan, for Christmas. Feeling lost, she buys a bottle of whiskey and an Irish newspaper at an airport gift shop. Pouring the whiskey into her coffee, she reads an article about a “fairy tree” in County Clare, Ireland, that diverted a motorway, which makes her think of her father. She drinks more, feeling disconnected from the version of herself that used to be a dreamer like him. Suddenly, she finds herself at the gate of a departing flight to the town of Shannon in County Clare.

Sarah wakes up on the plane just as it touches down in Ireland, with no memory of how she got there. She learns from the passenger next to her that she convinced the gate attendants to add her to the standby passenger list for the Irish flight. After a tense call with Meghan, who is waiting for her in Boston, Sarah makes her way through Shannon to a local hotel, where the manager, Marcus, informs her of the hotel’s plumbing issues and arranges for her to stay in “Butler’s Cottage,” a restored 19th-century thatched house, in the nearby village of Thornwood. Brian Sweeney, her new landlord, shows her to the cottage, and she immediately falls asleep.

That evening, Sarah wakes to a panic attack, a recurring problem since her tragedy. She walks into the dark countryside to calm herself, drinking the rest of her whiskey. When her flashlight dies, she is startled by a donkey and falls into a field, where she finds an empty bird’s nest. Nearby, she discovers a tin box hidden inside a hollow tree. Back at the cottage, she opens it to find an unused 1911 passenger ticket on a boat to New York and a red leather diary belonging to a young woman named Anna Butler.

The narrative shifts to an entry from Anna’s diary, beginning in December 1910. Anna, an 18-year-old farm girl, met Harold Griffin-Krauss, a charming American anthropologist studying Irish folklore. When his bicycle got a puncture, her father helped him repair it, and Anna impulsively offered to be his research assistant and translator during his interviews with the village locals. Her mother persuaded her skeptical father to agree. Anna secretly hoped that Harold’s work would help her find her sister, Milly, who she believed was taken to live with the fairies at the time of her supposed death.

In the present, Sarah learns that the cottage has mice and goes to the village for traps. The shop is closed, so she visits Brian’s house, where she meets his teenage granddaughter, Hazel. Brian notes the coincidence that another American stayed at the cottage exactly 100 years ago. Hazel mentions the local belief that Thornwood House is haunted.

Anna’s diary describes the beginning of Harold and Anna’s research at Thornwood House, where Anna told Harold the legend of the fairy tree. They were interrupted by Lord Hawley’s son, George, who vaguely recognized Anna from the village. Harold accepted an invitation for them both to have lunch at the house, despite the clear disapproval of George’s twin sister, Olivia. They continued collecting stories from locals, including a chilling tale about fairies building a coffin for a living child who subsequently died.

In the present, Sarah walks in the woods near Thornwood House to sketch. A local conservation officer, Oran Sweeney, who is Brian’s son and Hazel’s father, angrily chastises her for picking snowdrops. Later, Hazel visits Sarah with flowers from Oran as an apology, explaining that her father planted the snowdrops in memory of his late wife, Cathy, and that Butler’s Cottage was their family home before she died. Hazel reveals that she owns a copy of Harold Griffin-Krauss’s published book of folklore, directly connecting the two timelines.

Anna’s diary recounts a disturbing story told by the schoolmaster about a man who burned his wife to death, believing that she was a changeling. The story prompted Anna to recall a traumatic memory of witnessing the Hawley twins cruelly killing a baby hare, which cemented her view of their dark nature. In the present, Sarah and Oran meet again. He apologizes, and they explore the derelict grounds of Thornwood House, sharing a moment of connection.

Anna injured her ankle on Cnoc na Sí, a hill believed to be a fairy dwelling. George Hawley found her and insisted on taking her to Thornwood House, where he was flirtatious and charming, while Olivia remained cold and cruel. Anna’s mother was furious when she learned where Anna had been and warned her that men like George were dangerous. As time went on, Anna grew closer to Harold, despite harboring a crush on George. Anna and her friend Tess secretly designed a golden dress for the Hawleys’ 21st birthday party.

In the present, Sarah receives a distressing phone call from Jack, finally revealing that “The Big Bad Thing” was the stillbirth of their daughter, Emma. Distraught, Sarah is accosted on the road by a terrifying old woman who claims to have “the sight” and tells Sarah that she has the “stench of death” on her.

Anna’s diary describes her visit with Harold to the seeress, Maggie Walsh. Anna eavesdropped on their conversation and heard a shocking story: years ago, Lady Hawley, convinced that her twins were changelings, sought Maggie’s help in a ritual to banish them. Lord Hawley discovered the ritual, rescued the twins, and beat his wife, who grew increasingly withdrawn. At the party, George danced with Anna before leading her outside, giving her champagne, and sexually assaulting her. Anna tried to fight him off, but he was too strong. As he overpowered her, a mysterious swarm of bees attacked him, causing him to fall into the river and drown. Immediately after, the spirit of Anna’s sister, Milly, appeared to Anna, transformed into a nature spirit. She told Anna that she was now safe. Harold searched the grounds for Anna and found her in shock. He brought her home and promised to return to Thornwood House the next morning to search for Anna’s pearls that were lost in the struggle with George.

The next day, the local police arrested Harold. He confessed to a scuffle with George to protect Anna’s reputation after her lost pearls were found at the scene. Anna learned that Harold was being transported to Dublin for trial. Danny, a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, owed Anna’s brother, Paddy, a debt for hiding Danny from the police. When Paddy learned about George assaulting Anna, he enlisted Danny to orchestrate a chaotic rescue at the train station, with Paddy acting as a lookout. Harold escaped on a boat back to the United States and left Anna a letter confessing his love and promising to send her a ticket to join him in New York.

Sarah finishes reading the diary and realizes that the unused ticket was the one Harold sent for Anna. Oran visits and tells her the rest of the story, which he learned from his grandfather. Anna’s mother died shortly after Harold left, and Anna stayed to care for her family, never using the tickets. She eventually married Danny. Olivia died alone in the decaying Thornwood House. Oran admits that Sarah’s presence has helped him move past his own grief.

The story jumps to June 2011. Sarah is in New York for her art exhibition, “The Story Collector,” featuring drawings inspired by Harold’s book. She and Jack are on amicable terms. Oran arrives at the gallery, surprising her. He reveals that he received a plane ticket that Sarah never sent, implying a final touch of unseen magic. They embrace, ready to start a new life together.