The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart was written by Holly Ringland and published in 2018. The literary fiction novel follows the life of Alice Hart, a young girl who is sent to live with her grandmother on a flower farm after a tragic family incident. Alice grows up learning the language of Australian native flowers, which her grandmother uses to convey messages and emotions. As Alice matures, she confronts the secrets of her family’s past and embarks on a journey of self-discovery and healing. The novel explores the power of secrets, how people can find solace and strength in the natural world, and how the traumas of the past can shape one’s life.

This study guide refers to the 2018 Kindle e-book edition published by House of Anansi Press Inc.

Content Warning: The source material deals with themes of family trauma and grief, child abuse, domestic violence, and suicidal ideation.

Plot Summary

Nine-year-old Alice Hart lives by the sea on the Australian coast. Her father, Clem, is abusive, so her mother, Agnes, lives in a state of vigilance. Because Agnes loves to garden, she teaches Alice how to tend to plants. She also teaches her the language of flowers, so Alice understands that flowers can be symbols for messages like courage, peace, forgiveness, or love. Agnes is pregnant, but Clem still physically abuses her.

Reading is Alice’s favorite hobby. In a book about fire myths, Alice learns about phoenixes and imagines giving her father a rebirth. She sneaks into her father’s shed and takes his wooden carvings to set them on fire. Alice sets a candle lantern in the woodshed and forgets about it. When Clem sees Alice with his woodworking, he beats her until she’s unconscious. The lantern starts a fire, burning the house down. Alice’s father saves her from the fire, but he and Agnes die. While Alice doesn’t know it, her unborn brother survives as well.

Alice wakes up in the hospital. After learning that her parents and dog are dead, she’s inconsolable, blaming herself for the fire. She develops selective muteness from the trauma. Soon, Alice goes to live with her paternal grandmother, June, who is a stranger to her.

June brings Alice miles inland to Thornfield Farm, a thriving flower farm. There, June makes pressed flower jewelry, and other women make bouquets, arrangements, jam, and various products. Though Alice is intrigued by the flowers, she still doesn’t speak. She likes Candy, the caring chef, and Twig, who runs the farm with June. The farm dog, Harry, is a trained therapy dog, so he comforts Alice.

Alice experiences panic attacks, night sweats, bedwetting, and nightmares until she goes to school and befriends Oggi, the neighbor boy. Oggi is sweet and talkative, while Alice is shy and quiet. She develops a crush on him. Alice finds solace in books and the nearby river. Since she misses the sea, Alice and Oggi often swim together.

June wants to tell Alice about their family secrets and why Clem disowned his own mother, but she can’t bring up the pain. She makes Alice a locket with desert pea flowers and a picture of Agnes inside. Alice treasures it and finally speaks by telling Oggi the locket picture is her mother.

At 17, Alice passes her driver’s license exam. June gives her a truck that lists her title as the floriographer of Thornfield Farm, which makes Alice feel like June is controlling her life. Oggi plans to go back to Bulgaria with his mother, and he wants Alice to come, and she agrees. Alice and Oggi plan to start a rose farm, get married, and have kids. Alice plans to meet him at the river later to leave.

June secretly calls Immigration on Oggi and his mom to protect Alice from getting hurt and abandoning the farm. Alice waits all night at the river, but Oggi never arrives. She can’t believe he left without her. June comforts Alice through her heartache.

At age 26, Alice is a floriographer and communications specialist at the farm. Alice receives a letter from Oggi, who is married with a daughter now and wrote to close old wounds. Alice is confused and upset. When Alice overhears June telling Twig she called Immigration, she confronts June about keeping secrets. Alice realizes that Oggi thought she betrayed him when June was to blame. Alice runs away, driving miles into the desert. Unbeknownst to Alice, June dies from a heart attack shortly after.

In the desert, Alice finds an abandoned puppy and names her Pip. The puppy is sick, so she rushes to a vet, Moss, who cares for Pip and helps Alice through a panic attack. Alice stays in the town until Pip recovers. Moss saw the name on her truck and called Thornfield Farm. Twig asked him to tell Alice about June’s death, but he couldn’t deliver the news.

Alice gets a job as a park ranger at a national park. She learns about Aboriginal culture, including a sacred crater called Heart Garden, where she works to protect culturally important plants. She also journals about the desert flowers and her life story, healing through writing.

Alice befriends Lulu, another ranger, and meets Dylan, a handsome, charming coworker. Lulu warns her that Dylan is dangerous, but they soon get romantically involved. Dylan becomes obsessive, controlling, and abusive. He kicks Pip and hurts Alice, but Alice forgives him because he always acts remorseful.

To Alice’s surprise, Candy and Twig visit at the national park after Moss alerts them to her location. They tell Alice about June’s death and give her the Thornfield Dictionary, which holds all the flower meanings and secrets of her family, per June’s will. Alice learns that Clem became volatile and obsessed with Agnes, so June didn’t want him to inherit the farm. Clem cut off all contact. Twig also reveals that Alice’s brother survived the fire. Alice is overwhelmed by the news.

Her relationship spirals when Dylan lies to their boss by saying Alice attacked him and then leaves. Alice is torn apart by Dylan’s betrayal and abandonment. With Lulu’s support, she moves on and drives to her hometown to find her brother Charlie.

Alice meets Charlie’s adoptive mother, Sally, the librarian from Alice’s childhood. Sally not only raised Alice’s brother, but she also loved Clem, with whom she secretly had a baby girl who died of leukemia at age five. Agnes came to the funeral, and she wrote in her will that if June couldn’t take care of her babies, Sally should be the guardian. June didn’t tell Alice about Charlie, as he was born prematurely and could have died. Sally sent pictures and letters about Charlie, but June refused contact.

Alice heals through writing and meeting Charlie, who is a gentle, happy gardener. Alice gives Charlie her share of Thornfield Farm to carry on the family name, and they scatter June’s ashes at the farm’s river. Alice will soon move for a writing residency. She titles her memoir about her journey and the language of flowers The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.