The Hornbeam Tree

Shadows Beneath the Canopy

In The Hornbeam Tree, Susan Lewis transports readers to the sleepy English village of Ashford Green, where an ancient hornbeam stands as silent witness to generations of joy and sorrow. When marine biologist Anna Parker returns to her childhood home after a family tragedy, she hopes the familiar embrace of the hornbeam’s broad boughs will soothe her grief. Instead, she uncovers unsettling whispers: the tree’s roots entangle more than just earth—they hold buried secrets of love, betrayal, and loss that ripple through her family’s history.

Roots of Family Secrets

As Anna sorts through her late mother’s papers in the dusty attic, she stumbles upon an unsigned letter hinting at a forbidden romance and a long-forgotten disappearance. With the help of local historian Thomas Gray, she traces the story back to wartime rationing and a clandestine promise made beneath the hornbeam’s branches. Each revelation peels back another layer of Anna’s ancestry: a grandmother who sacrificed happiness for duty, a great-uncle who returned from war a different man, and a ledger of debts written in invisible ink. As the past converges upon the present, Anna must decide whether the truth will free her—or fracture her family forever.

Blooming Hope Amidst Loss

Against the backdrop of spring’s first green shoots and the steady hum of village life, Anna’s journey becomes one of healing as much as discovery. Susan Lewis weaves a rich tapestry of character and setting, capturing everything from the hornbeam’s whispering leaves to the warm glow of candlelit kitchen tables where friends and neighbors share confidences. Through trials of heartache and moments of unexpected kindness, Anna learns that love can bloom anew, even when the ground has been broken by grief.

.Susan Lewis is a bestselling author celebrated for her emotionally charged novels that explore love, loss, and the unbreakable bonds of family. With vivid settings and deeply human characters, she crafts stories that linger in the heart long after the last page is turned.