The Monocle by Mark Cavanagh opens in the summer of 1966 when thirteen-year-old Mick Sullivan and his friend Viv Oulette discover a mysterious bronze clamshell in an abandoned farmhouse.
The house’s owner, Mr. Winsor, disappeared without a trace, leaving behind the clamshell, a notebook, and a puzzle that Viv vows to solve. Mick and Viv open the clam and discover a monocle inside. Through some experimentation, the friends find the monocle can help them teleport, time travel, and even control the weather. The effects of their investigations catch the attention of a federal agent and an otherworldly being who tries to make small suggestions to lead the children down a path of destruction. When the monocle’s incredible power is placed in Viv’s and Mick’s hands, they must decide how to use it, and their choices aren’t always the right ones.
The highly descriptive details show the fight for a balance of power and the entities that will stop at nothing to tip the scale. The Monocle takes readers back to the 1960s and, even if they didn’t live during that time, they will appreciate the lifestyle, speech, and familiar companies. Others will relive the generation’s nostalgia, perhaps placing themselves in Mick’s or Viv’s shoes. Mark Cavanagh moves the story along at a pace that will hold readers’ interest without pushing them too quickly from one point of action to another. We all like to think we’d have proper control over the outcome if we discovered a mechanism allowing teleportation or time travel, but the author shows the possible consequences, making the novel realistic. Readers who enjoy science fiction and young adult books will love The Monocle.