For fans of Dorothy Gilman’s work, a fascinating literary puzzle exists between two of her novels. In The Tightrope Walker (published in 1979), the protagonist Amelia Jones cherishes a childhood book titled The Maze in the Heart of the Castle, written by a fictional author named Hannah Marie Gruble. Yet Gilman herself published a book with that exact title in 1983. Was this coincidence, planning, or something more intriguing?
Understanding the Timeline
The Tightrope Walker was published in June 1979 Kirkus Reviews, while The Maze in the Heart of the Castle appeared in 1983 Goodreads. Within The Tightrope Walker, Hannah Gruble (who died in 1965) supposedly wrote this influential children’s fantasy about a young man named Colin journeying through a magical maze. The book profoundly impacts Amelia’s life, offering her comfort after her mother’s suicide.
The Author’s Creative Decision
Gilman published the fictional book within The Tightrope Walker first, then decided to write it as an actual novel four years later GoodreadsGoodreads. The 1983 publication features the same title, protagonist name (Colin), and core premise described in the earlier mystery novel. Readers have reported being as moved by Gilman’s real version as the fictional Amelia was by Hannah’s imaginary one Goodreads.
No Mystery Author Named Gruble
My commenter is correct: there was no actual author named Gruble. Hannah Marie Gruble exists only as a character within The Tightrope Walker—a philanthropist and author whose mysterious death Amelia investigates. Gilman created this fictional writer and her fictional book, then brought that imaginary story to life as a gift to her readers.
This demonstrates Gilman’s remarkable ability to blur the lines between fiction and reality, creating depth within her storytelling that resonates across multiple works.
Comment from Froglady
FrogLady4719@gmail.net
In researching, The Maze at the Heart of the Castle was written by Gilman and first published in 1983. She (Gilman) then refers to in Tightrope as written by Grueble. Hannah in Tightrope dies in 1965 and her tombstone as a quote from the book, presumably written 18 years after Hannah’s death. Gilman describes the book and gives the main character’s name as Colin – the same name and general plot as in her book. Was there another? I can find no reference to one, nor can I find an author by the name of Grueble. Sounds like creative writing in The Tightrope
References
Goodreads. “The Maze in the Heart of the Castle by Dorothy Gilman.” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2644957
Goodreads. “The Tightrope Walker by Dorothy Gilman.” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/149339.The_Tightrope_Walker
Kirkus Reviews. “The Tightrope Walker.” June 1, 1979. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/dorothy-gilman/tightrope-walker/
Dorothy Gilman Fan Site. “Tightrope Walker.” https://mrspollifax.com/blog/list-of-books-published/nonseries-books/tightrope-walker/
