(Reflections of Blue Book One)
After a summer like no other spent at her uncle’s farmhouse, Seraphine is given instructions to enter an alternate world filled with new friends, love, betrayal, never-ending life, and perpetual suffering.
Seraphine, a teenager from a poor family, is sent away for the summer to live on her uncle’s strawberry farm. She’s been shipped off like this before, but this time is different. She is pleasantly surprised when she walks into the previously dark-lit farmhouse to find Janusz (or “Jonesy,” as she later calls him), an immigrant from Poland who allegedly came to work on the farm. His bright personality instantly illuminates the house, but his frail body leads Sera to question his presence there. Not wanting to anger her short-tempered uncle, however, she does not initially make any inquiries on the matter. Instead, she attempts to exist as Uncle Ford prefers—neither seen nor heard as much as possible. But when it becomes clear that Jonesy actually cares to spend time with her, the two of them become fast friends as they bond over “breakfast picnics” and watching the sunrise.
Throughout the next few months, Sera sees Jonesy’s body deteriorating and her uncle’s demeanor changing for the worse. She also continues receiving hints—mostly in the form of stern, hushed conversations—about Jonesy’s mysterious illness, the nature of his relationship with Uncle Ford, and the secret place he was before arriving at the farm.
Eventually, when she realizes it is no longer in Jonesy’s best interest to stay with her uncle, she enlists the help of her parents to get him removed from the farmhouse. As expected, Uncle Ford is less than happy when he learns of Jonesy’s disappearance, and he takes out his frustrations by drinking heavily and physically abusing Sera.
After enduring numerous beatings and assaults, Sera confides in a family friend, Kailas, who was sent by her mom and dad to ensure her well-being after Jonesy successfully escapes. Unfortunately, similar to her parents, Kailas is strapped for cash and cannot provide Sera with safety under her roof. But she gifts a set of instructions that will allow Sera to escape into what she initially believes is a deep meditative state. However, Sera soon realizes she has actually been given access to an alternate reality she never dreamed existed . . .
(Reflections of Blue Book Two)
Seraphine, now in her mid-twenties, is carrying on with her life while raising her adopted daughter, Berlin, building a relationship with her boyfriend, Calen, and preparing for the birth of their unborn child. But she has this recurring dream. She can't explain why, but everything about it seems so familiar to her. Particularly the faceless silhouette of a man who is always by her side. The unexplained familiarity causes her to fear for her own sanity, so she buries it into the deepest caverns of her mind . . . until she can't anymore, that is.
After her mother's brain condition improves, Sera is given the freedom to move across the country to attend college in Arizona. During that time, she meets Calen, a gunnery serjeant in the Marine Corps. Even though she resists getting close to him, his charm and kindness eventually wear her down. Then when Calen is ordered to the base in Parris Island, South Carolina, Sera and her entire family make the big move with him. Logically, this comes with Calen's expectations of more responsibility in Berlin's life, but Sera is hesitant. Something about him becoming an official "father" to her daughter makes her uneasy. She can't wrap her head around these feelings, especially since she is close to giving birth to his child. What is wrong with me? She wonders. Am I a control freak? Or am I just so used to being Berlin's only parent?
While navigating these challenges, Sera busies herself with work for the affluent Patel Family. She cleans their home and looks after their two children when they aren't in school. The youngest daughter, Avneet, is a particularly talented artist and is usually ecstatic to show Sera her creations. But one night, Sera walks over to the large dining table to inspect whatever Avneet is drawing, but she rips it away and forbids her from seeing it. However, Sera finds it the next day in the young girl's room. It's of a tall, skinny man with hair that reaches past his shoulders. "Harry" is written neatly in the corner of the paper.
It's after this discovery that Sera remembers the recurring dream she's tried so hard to abandon. Whoever this "Harry" is, he resembles the mysterious man that exists in her subconscious. Surely, that's just a coincidence, she tells herself. But what if it isn't?