Rereading: BEYOND SILENCE by Eleanor Cameron

Cover illustration by Michael Heslop

Cameron began writing The Mushroom Planet series for her son in the 1950s, but she continued to grow as a writer, and by 1980, the time of this book, her work was deep, thoughtful, and complex while also being accessible and appealing.

Andy’s life in California has been deeply troubled since the death of his older brother Hoagy, which happened when they were on a trip together. Before the accident, Hoagy had served in Vietnam, coming back injured, and that and his death also drove a wedge between Andy’s parents. To get away from things, Andy’s father Alex is taking him on a trip to Scotland to visit his family’s ancestral home, which is now being run as a hotel by Jim and Beth McBride. Alex is excited to revisit the scenes of his childhood, and Andy is looking forward to hiking and exploring the area. When they arrive, and are being taken up to their room, Andy has a strange psychic experience where he hears the voice of a young girl when there’s definitely no one else there. This is the first of several such moments, some of which come with visions as well as sounds, and an old letter from the early 1900s gives Andy some clues to what he’s experiencing, but also leaves many questions unanswered, which he spends the trip trying to figure out. Another guest, Scotsman Phineas Brock, is soon pushing his company on both Alex and Andy, and seems intent on finding out everything about the strange things Andy is going through, even though Andy takes an instant dislike to him. Over the course of a few weeks, Andy’s visions grow darker, and seem somehow linked to the death of his brother. Can anyone help him figure things out, and get Mr. Brock off his back?

Excellent writing and characters, recommended.

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