DORIAN'S QUARTERBACK

In Taylor’s historical series starter, a sensitive girl comes of age in New England.

In the 1970s, Beth Lawrence is an astute and inquisitive child who feels distant from the other members of her family; she’s much younger than her three siblings, and at one point, she notices that there are no photos of herself hanging up on the walls of their home. She’s also alienated from her peers, as she is, as she describes it, “the poorest kid in a rich school” in Providence, Rhode Island. By 14, Beth has made some connections with friends and with her beloved sister-in-law, Hope, but then her parents sell their house and abruptly transplant Beth to a hectic public school in New Hampshire, where the locals dismiss her as a “flatlander.” (Her often cold mother informs her of the sudden move, “as if talking about the weather,” dismissing Beth’s horrified reaction.) Once again an outsider as a high school freshman, Beth tries to assimilate, but sadness and loneliness seem to lurk behind every corner. Death also creeps into her life in several ways, including a destabilizing encounter with someone in her orbit contracting a mysterious disease. At 16, she finds hope, and longing, in her passionate feelings for a warmhearted boy named Toby Pemberton, but there are persistent hints at a grim future with shocking, unrevealed truths. Taylor ends this first novel rather abruptly, which leaves something to be desired, but she certainly sets up an intriguing and rich stage for her Emotional Imprints series. Her prose is particularly effective at showing how Beth tries to navigate the abrupt mood shifts of the complicated adults around her and how this has had lasting effects on her. Taylor also expertly mimics the sensation of delving into deep memories by subtly playing with tense and time; early on, for instance, Beth’s narration moves effortlessly from a contemporary, forlorn adult perspective to a third grader’s present-tense view. This adds to the novel’s overall moody atmosphere and hints that the protagonist’s best dramatic arcs are yet to come.

This work’s thoughtful, delicate prose paves a promising way for future installments.