The Fair Folk
The Fairy Folk living in the Surrey woods are very discriminating in who they choose to reveal themselves to. In 1959, eight-year-old Felicity loves the woods on her father’s old farm – a place of solitude that feels magical with her secret den hidden in the woods. Here she escapes at every opportunity, regardless of her father’s warnings to stay away. One evening Elfrida and her band of fairies appear. Enchanted and awestruck, Felicity dines and dances with these mischievous fairies who dress her in glamorous, sparkling gowns. The next morning, she finds herself back in her ordinary life.
As time passes, there are many of these magical meetings. Felicity feels honored as their chosen one and wants to please them. The Fairy Folk convince Felicity to invite them into her house – without an invitation, they cannot cross the threshold. On a dark night they enter, create havoc and mischief throughout the house; but when morning dawns, all is back to rights. Or is it? Felicity realizes something terrible has been done. This results in a bargain and a gift between Felicity and Elfrida with far-reaching consequences. As Felicity ages and heads to Cambridge, Elfrida and Hob continue to pop in and out of her life as they please, and Felicity puzzles over what they want with her.
Felicity faces numerous challenges – her struggles, like other women of the ´60s and ´70s, to seek autonomy and freedom to make her own choices; a romantic relationship; and her questions of why she is the fairies’ chosen one. The illusion of glamour tempts Felicity to disappear forever into the Fairy Folk’s magical world, but Elfrida reminds her, “[Glamour] flits hither and thither… Allow it to be your guiding star, and it will leave you desolate in the end.” Lose yourself in this magical literary fantasy grounded with real-life wisdom.
