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Willoughby: Book IV - Dreamers
On a cool Spring evening, Aaron stands in the twilight watching the sun slip into the lake with his friend. They're discussing Michael's ideas about how he should write the ending to Dreamers, the last book in the Willoughby series. In the first chapters, the book returned to Eva's story and then onto Aaron and Lena's return to the lake. They'd loved Lake Willoughby, but throughout their lives, they'd struggled with settling there. It's almost dark. Barely visible, Lena appears smiling broadly and says, "Does anyone want to hear my dream?"
In his preface, Lena's husband, Aaron, reminds us that she saw connections in everything; each separate thing had its own story. "If you're going to paint Mom's garden," she argued once, "you should consider her perspective and what was unique about her point of view. And don't just paint what she sees, but what she feels. Does her heart beat stronger as she caresses the beautiful blooms? And as she imagines caressing another kind of flower, do her hands fear the biting thorns? Does she work through the day's heat, the Sun warm against her flesh, the heavy fragrance enveloping her like a narcotic dream? Your mother knows her garden not just with her eyes or her scratched hands, her fantasies; every part of her knows the garden differently."
So, I painted mom's point of view, reaching out to touch a rose, and several other versions of her working in her garden in the same painting. Lena laughed when I showed it to her and explained Hemingway's iceberg theory. Aaron Hart, October 5, 2024
In Dreamers, the long-awaited conclusion to the Willoughby series, two diners dish at the Miss Lyndonville. As a young nurse prepares for her first child, she hears the phrase "Same bed, different dream" and considers what it means. "Most women who worked at the PTT were telephone switchboard operators—not my mom!" A heartfelt confession and a flight to Jimbolia. Passing, there's a sweet story hiding behind a white mask. "Béisbol's been berry berry good to me." Two storytellers dance at the End of Days. Lena suggests novel writers should never refer to philosophical ideas directly. A nuanced message is delivered about perpetual care. Aaron's memories will live on.
In his preface, Lena's husband, Aaron, reminds us that she saw connections in everything; each separate thing had its own story. "If you're going to paint Mom's garden," she argued once, "you should consider her perspective and what was unique about her point of view. And don't just paint what she sees, but what she feels. Does her heart beat stronger as she caresses the beautiful blooms? And as she imagines caressing another kind of flower, do her hands fear the biting thorns? Does she work through the day's heat, the Sun warm against her flesh, the heavy fragrance enveloping her like a narcotic dream? Your mother knows her garden not just with her eyes or her scratched hands, her fantasies; every part of her knows the garden differently."
So, I painted mom's point of view, reaching out to touch a rose, and several other versions of her working in her garden in the same painting. Lena laughed when I showed it to her and explained Hemingway's iceberg theory. Aaron Hart, October 5, 2024
In Dreamers, the long-awaited conclusion to the Willoughby series, two diners dish at the Miss Lyndonville. As a young nurse prepares for her first child, she hears the phrase "Same bed, different dream" and considers what it means. "Most women who worked at the PTT were telephone switchboard operators—not my mom!" A heartfelt confession and a flight to Jimbolia. Passing, there's a sweet story hiding behind a white mask. "Béisbol's been berry berry good to me." Two storytellers dance at the End of Days. Lena suggests novel writers should never refer to philosophical ideas directly. A nuanced message is delivered about perpetual care. Aaron's memories will live on.
221 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 8, 2025
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