Summary

In Chapter 28 Brown reveals that Nickie grieved when her aunt moved out, believing Willow left without saying goodbye. She took ownership of the spell book, which she hides in her aunt’s room and reads after school. Nickie feels particularly drawn to the “Song of Lanora,” her sainted ancestor, which Brown transcribes in its entirety in the novel. The song tells the story of a woman who uses her broken heart to heal others. Nickie’s great grandma, Augusta, catches her reading the spell book one afternoon.

Chapter 29 picks up with Augusta right after she has found Nickie secretly studying the spell book. Augusta has not seen the book in years, since New Orleans, and lets her hand glide across the cover. She feels afraid for her great-granddaughter and then thinks back to her life in New Orleans, where she began to get...