Stories play a dominant role throughout The Night Gardener. Sometimes the stories are told by the characters themselves, and they also appear in the narration as allusions to classic tales. In both cases, the mechanics of the novel are heavily influenced by the myriad patterns of fiction and the common symbols of literature. In this way, the act of storytelling takes on a life of its own and almost comes to have the same presence as a character in the novel. Through the tales that Molly and Hester tell, as well as the books that the tree gives Penny, The Night Gardener illustrates the many powers of stories.

The power of storytelling is first evidenced in Molly’s own origins. For as long as Molly can remember, she has been able to tell stories that keep people entranced. She doesn’t know how she does it, only that she has “a way of talking that ma[kes] other people believe in magic things” (34). This power works wonders, whether she’s telling stories to entertain or to influence. She often makes up stories about magic to entertain Penny, which endears the girl to her and shows how stories can bring people together. Similarly, she makes up tales about her parents for Kip.