Keeper of Secrets

Badger Cottage isn’t appealing to Emily. Not only is it far away from everything she knows, but it’s further away from her mother, who died six months before. Then there’s all the readjustment, to villagers who burst in on you, to having to explain your situation all over again. What’s more, it seems like Dad is no longer Dad as he once was. Now, he’s dragged Emily here to the snowy north, where he’s taken up a temporary veterinary practice.

Emily’s thoughts and dreams are of her mother, but also of some dark, raging attack. Therefore, when she learns that this new rural community is at war over the lynx ,reintroduced into the woods, she is anxious. What’s more, watching the creatures in the wild makes her feel haunted.

Yet when she sees the dead body of a mother lynx in the road, Emily is urged into action, despite the danger and then restrictions. Should she find this animal’s kitten, how could she care for it, feed it and thereafter, hide it? She’s aware of the hunt for it, Dad’s ever zealous surveillance of her, but also her need to reach out to something vulnerable, lost and motherless…

Keeper of Secrets is a thoughtful, furious, cry from the heart. Sarah J. Dodd has created a very well crafted and considered novel that makes us think and feel. Rural and environmental concerns, rural life, loneliness and trust are all considered in this respectful, mature and meaningful book. Bookwagon recommends this debut title to our mature, dedicated readers.