The Scent Keeper - by Erica Bauermeister (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

Told in a lyrical, haunting prose, the story provides fascinating information about the ways in which different fragrances can impact human behavior and the struggles of finding one's own identity. An artfully crafted coming-of-age story that will take the reader on an exquisite olfactory adventure. - Kirkus

This coming-of-age story delights the senses, immersing the reader in the sights, sounds, and scents of the
wilderness and city life. Fans of Mary Simses and Jennifer Close will fall in love with Bauermeister's plucky heroine, the layers of family secrets, the lush settings, and the painfully tender relationships. - Booklist

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, Starred Review

"[A] magical novel...Blending fantasy with a realist family drama, Bauermeister's novel will enchant fans of Katherine Paterson." - Publishers Weekly

For lovers of Chocolat, The Scent Keeper evokes emotion and magic through the senses. -Jennie Shortridge, author of Eating Heaven

A fascinating, totally original and captivating tale about how the love that separates us is also the love that keeps us together.--M.J. Rose, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Lost Fragrances

The author hits it out of the park with the most superb sense of place I've read in a long time. It's a coming of age tale, featuring a young heroine as narrator who makes serious mistakes, learns much from them, and ultimately redeems herself. Beautifully and masterfully written. I highly recommend it. - Elizabeth George, New York Times and international bestselling author

Bauermeister deftly weaves plot and language into a luminous discovery of love--for another person, for a place, and ultimately for oneself. - Carol Cassella, national bestselling author of Oxygen

Bauermeister's heroine Emmeline might also be kin to Jane Eyre. Heartbreaking, thrilling, and wonderfully instructive, this sensual novel is pure pleasure reading.--Adrianne Harun, bestselling author of A Man Came Out of A Door in the Mountain

Some very special books have the power to change the reader--The Scent Keeper is one of those. This is a book to be devoured, no, to be inhaled, and held deeply. - Dave Boling, author of Guernica

"One of the most enchanting, unique books I've ever read." - Anna Quinn, author of The Night Child and owner The Writers' Workshop and Imprint Bookstore

About The Author