The Scent Keeper
-
-
4.7 • 9 Ratings
-
-
- $25.99
Publisher Description
"Woven through [Emmeline's] life's journey is a multi-layered story of fragrance and its evocative power, as strong and tenacious as this sensuous novel's plucky heroine." - Shelf Awareness
Erica Bauermeister, the author of the February Reese's Book Club pick The Scent Keeper, presents a moving and evocative novel about childhood stories, families lost and found, and how a fragrance conjures memories capable of shaping the course of our lives.
Emmeline lives on a remote island with her father, who teaches her about the natural world through her senses. What he won’t explain are the mysterious scents stored in glass bottles that line the walls of their cabin, or the origin of the machine that creates them. As Emmeline grows, however, so too does her curiosity, until one day the unforeseen happens, and Emmeline is vaulted out into the real world--a place of love, betrayal, ambition, and revenge. To understand her past, Emmeline must unlock the clues to her identity, a quest that challenges the limits of her heart and imagination.
Captivating and emotional, The Scent Keeper explores the provocative beauty of scent, the way it can reveal hidden truths, lead us to the person we seek, and even help us find our way back home.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Erica Bauermeister’s fourth novel is a classic fable turned on its head—and she constantly finds delightful ways to toy with our expectations. Emmeline has been raised by her father on a secluded island, where she learns to explore the world using all five senses, especially her sense of smell. We follow Bauermeister’s young heroine as she grows into an adult and is catapulted out into the frenzied and crowded “real world” with only her highly tuned abilities to guide her. Told in three parts, this coming-of-age story depends on distinct shifts in tone to guide us through the journey. Actress Gabra Zackman gets it, lending each section a distinct feel, from the whimsical magic realism of the early chapters to the bittersweet tone of the book’s heart-wrenching climax. Was there something magic on the island of Emmeline’s childhood—or is her sense of loss the universal price of growing up? Charming and poignant, The Scent Keeper has all the makings of a modern fairy tale.
