Dorian’s Quarterback by Mary Taylor

An affecting Proustian realist novel about childhood emotional development, Mary Taylor’s Dorian’s Quarterback is an accomplished rumination on the impact of sense memories and the nature of time. Following a young girl named Beth growing up in a privileged New England family in the 1970s, the novel tackles subjects like mental illness, teen suicide, and homophobia with genuine nuance and confident, intimate prose. The cover doesn’t nearly reflect the artistry inside, as author Taylor paints an arresting portrait of a girl coming of age in the midst of family crisis.