The Key to Everything

The Key to Everything is a coming-of-age story that envelops the reader in a blanket of nostalgia, eliciting those warm and cozy sentiments that only nostalgia can bring. Clearly, the author intended this to be the case because of the moving dialogue and the delightful description that fills the pages.

The story takes place in the years immediately following World War II, when the country was still recovering from the war and many veterans were still reeling from its impact. Our teenage protagonist, Peyton Cabot, is trying to understand why his father is so different after the war, numbing his emotions with alcohol. When his father dies after a freak accident, Peyton sets off on a journey where he tries to come to terms with his father’s death, as well as look inside himself to understand where his life needs to go.

There is very little backstory in this tale, and I consider that a very good thing. The author provides the minimum amount of backstory necessary for the reader to understand how the current situation came to be. There were times when the author could have given us more backstory about certain characters, but I don’t think it would have moved the story along, so I was grateful she didn’t.

What really sets this novel apart, in my opinion, is the dialogue. The author breathes life into the characters with her use of dialogue. I think this entire novel is a textbook example of show don’t tell. It is mostly through dialogue that we discover what a character thinks and feels. Without going overboard on vernacular, the author assigns each character with individual styles of dialogue. I loved it!

The spray of the ocean, the feel of the sun on a hot summer day, and the damage a full day of bike riding can wreak on a body are all examples of the description in the story. When combined with the dialogue, the author’s use of description completely immerses the reader into the story. That’s a true statement; once I got into the story, I actually felt like I was a bystander watching the story unfold before me.

The story also has a wonderful, consistent pace to it. It wasn’t too slow, nor too fast. It was right where it needs to be.

As you can probably imagine, coming-of-age stories have some huge character arcs. This one was no different. But that’s not a bad thing at all. It’s expected. It satisfies.

Now for the best part! The author includes an epilogue that takes place about 15 years after the story ends. We get to see what happens to the characters – how everything turns out. This adds an additional layer of closure to the story, and I loved it!

I recommend this story to anyone who enjoys those warm and cozy sentiments.