The Silence of the Keeper
Between the human and fae worlds lies The Waystation, an ancient place where humans trade for knowledge and fae bargain for emotions. Within its walls, books tend to wander from their shelves and sprites may be found flitting between the stacks. Elsie Myre has just been chosen as its new Keeper, serving as arbiter between the realms, when a darkness begins to intrude. Books become corrupted and feed on readers’ fears and anxieties. Meanwhile, war gathers on the horizon, and its consequences threaten to spill from the human world into the fae realm. Set in Europe as WWII’s terrors encroach upon its fantastical doors, the novel considers what it means to preserve one’s humanity amid harrowing circumstances.
This book is a celebration of the written word and is overall a warmly enjoyable read—sweet, enchanting, and brimming with poetic, evocative prose. Most of the story unfolds within the magical Waystation, a living presence of its own that shelters and cares for anyone who enters. The pacing slows near the midpoint as the story’s central conflict–the corrupted books–doesn’t emerge until that point. The first half offers a cozy, lighthearted portrait of Elsie’s new life as Keeper entwined with a gentle love story, and the second half deepens into tension as war erupts and the stakes grow more serious. The details of early printing practices underscore the power of words while the story thoughtfully reflects upon resilience, connection, and the weight of difficult choices. The book closes on a melancholic note and leaves readers with a promise of more to come. Despite an aching closure for some of its characters, The Silence of the Keeper is exquisitely penned and deeply enjoyable.
