When considering a book purchase, I always check out Amazon’s sample pages to evaluate the writing. In this case, the phrase that hooked me was, “I stood in front of my wardrobe, which smelled like mothballs and old people.” As I continued reading, I realized I was in the presence of a great author.

Quicksilver is Emily Meyer’s debut novel. Self-published, it has only a handful of reviews, though it eclipses most of the junk posing as literature these days. Set in the mid-1980s, the story of Lyra Hearney and Trace Forrester seems perched on the edge of a teenage romance. Instead, it takes an inexplicable turn when Lyra runs away from home on her fourteenth birthday.

Meyer isn’t satisfied with simple reasons for her character’s actions. Lyra herself doesn’t seem to understand them herself. Instead of trying to explain, she tells of her years in Carver, Minnesota, an insignificant soybean town. Central to her concerns are a peculiar aunt’s obsession with a huge collection of junk in her parents’ basement, and Lyra’s sometimes tense but desperately important relationship with Trace, a boy haunted by his father’s death. We learn about family tensions involving Lyra’s parents, her willful sister Lucille, and her grandparents, who disapprove of Trace. 

Befriended by a kind lady and a supermarket manager, Lyra tries to create a novel about Trace, as writing seems to be her only talent. Memories of their many hours exploring the woods, basking in the sun, and swimming in the Maumee River are important to her. The pull to return home is strong, but it’s more than Trace’s absence that draws her. It’s her need to discover Aunt Betty’s dark secret, and her unbreakable ties to the people who helped make Lyra who she is.

The novel has some grammatical problems that a professional editor surely would have addressed, and a problem late in the story involving a decision Trace has made. But what a beautifully flowing narrative it is! It brims with mood and texture and emotion that few writers ever attain. There’s not an offensive word anywhere, refreshing in this world of gutter language. I hope others will read Quicksilver, and that Emily Meyer will share more of her great talent with the world’s reading community.

Chevron Ross's novels include Weapons of Remorse, The Seven-Day Resurrection, and The Samaritan's Patient. Click here for more information.