Small Wonders

Undoubtedly philosophers are in the right when they tell us, that nothing is great or little, otherwise than by comparison.— Jonathan Swift

We lived in our grown-up dollhouses completely unaware that, at any moment, a hand might come in and change around everything we’d become accustomed to.— Jodi Picoult

In the beginning, there was a dollhouse — a beautiful Victorian manor. Not an heirloom piece, but rather a Playmobil model fresh out of the packet. It was delivered to me as a present, by way of the North Pole, though I also knew to thank my parents. Each of its five rooms came with its own box of vaguely historical fixtures and finishings, complete with a mock-vintage family. There was a lovely plastic conservatory just off the kitchen, and cheerful red and pink flowers adorned each windowsill. On the morning I unwrapped it, I could only stand...