The Scent Keeper

Emmeline experiences betrayal from both her mother and father, which plays a huge part in her life and is a key factor in determining the person she becomes over the book. She is raised on an island and then moves to a cove. The culture shock that follows affects her mentally and emotionally as she struggles to adapt to a new environment. She becomes friends with a boy at school named Fisher, who understands her and makes her feel safe. Her dog, Dodge, is an always-loyal companion. Cleo, her goat, is the same. Emmeline breaks away from who she is multiple times in attempts to find out what she values and the kind of life she wants for herself. This, naturally, leads to chaos and confusion, and eventually clarity. This book is purple prose, though not in the traditional sense of the term. It takes the passion and anger of red and merges with the sadness of blue, creating something that pierces with a certain sharpness. Poetic, memorable, and completely capturing, "The Scent Keeper" will sweep you off your feet with its sense of wonder. Overwhelming in the best way possible, and the best work of contemporary fiction I've read.