Books / The Changer

The Changer

The title derives from a Native American myth that presages a sudden upending of the order of things—as geophysicist Emory Barnes, a character in the book, puts it, “The end of all life on Earth.” I will bid these words dwell ever in my memory, and they shall cheer, comfort, and enliven me! This conversation, though extremely affecting to me at the time it passed, has relieved my mind from much anxiety. Concealment, my dear Maria, is the foe of tranquillity: however I may err in future, I will never be disingenuous in acknowledging my errors. To you and to Mr. Villars I vow an unremitting confidence.