"The dead come to me vulnerable, sharing their stories and secrets." When Mary Crampton is a child, an accident in her small town's grain elevator takes the life of a celebrated high school athlete, Eddie Golden, and his brother takes the blame for it. Years later, the town has never recovered from the accident, and Mary has never left, working as an embalmer at her father's mortuary. When Eddie Golden's brother returns to town to care for his dying mother, it sends the town into upheaval, especially when Mary befriends him. The Flicker of Old Dreams is lyrical and beautiful, exploring the idea of how the past informs the present and asking the question: is it ever too late to follow our dreams?