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In the Shadows of the Sun
Award-winning novelist Alexander Parsons takes us from the scorched battlefields of World War II’s Pacific front to the badlands of America’s desert southwest in this starkly evocative novel about a ranching family living at the dawn of the nuclear age.Even as Jack Strickland fights the Japanese in the Philippines, his family in New Mexico clashes with the U.S. government, which intends to evict them from their ranch and turn their land into a bombing range. In the midst of this, news from a hemisphere away and antagonisms and temptations close to home threaten to split the family from within, their struggles and fortunes vividly illustrating America’s wartime progression into the modern era.
273 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 2, 2013
2 1/2 stars, based on the 75% of the book I read.
The book is divided into 4 sections, alternating twice between the scenes of WWII in the Philippines/Japan and a ranching community in New Mexico. In a previous update, I liked this structure to War and Peace, and mentioned that as with W&P, I like the Peace parts more. In fact, I ended up skipping section 3 altogether, as it looked like nothing but grim scenes of a Japanese-run POW camp.
It's one thing reading about it in the amazing biography Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, but I just didn't have the stomach to read another scene in fiction. Also, based on the first war chapter, I didn't really feel the author had anything profound to say about war that I hadn't encountered before. It's not that I object to reading about things like this; both The Orphan Master's Son and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovichcover a lot of the same ground, but those books left me with thoughts and feelings beyond "War is terrible and it makes people do terrible things".
The Peace parts were more interesting, but it all felt pretty flat to me. I didn't care about any of the characters, and the third person narrative was confusing as it seemed to spend most of the time (like 80%) telling the story from one character's perspective, but then would sometimes jump to another's within the same page or chapter. There wasn't a lot to the story either which was also grim and also didn't convey anything in a way that I haven't seen done better somewhere else. The theme of the decay of a way of life in the Southwest was done much differently but more interestingly in
No Country for Old Men for example.
It was a little too much to have . I didn't feel that the historical context of the A-bomb leant anything meaningful to the characters' stories.
I also didn't care for the author's writing style which veered from flat Hemingway-like writing to almost purply prose.
The book is divided into 4 sections, alternating twice between the scenes of WWII in the Philippines/Japan and a ranching community in New Mexico. In a previous update, I liked this structure to War and Peace, and mentioned that as with W&P, I like the Peace parts more. In fact, I ended up skipping section 3 altogether, as it looked like nothing but grim scenes of a Japanese-run POW camp.
It's one thing reading about it in the amazing biography Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, but I just didn't have the stomach to read another scene in fiction. Also, based on the first war chapter, I didn't really feel the author had anything profound to say about war that I hadn't encountered before. It's not that I object to reading about things like this; both The Orphan Master's Son and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovichcover a lot of the same ground, but those books left me with thoughts and feelings beyond "War is terrible and it makes people do terrible things".
The Peace parts were more interesting, but it all felt pretty flat to me. I didn't care about any of the characters, and the third person narrative was confusing as it seemed to spend most of the time (like 80%) telling the story from one character's perspective, but then would sometimes jump to another's within the same page or chapter. There wasn't a lot to the story either which was also grim and also didn't convey anything in a way that I haven't seen done better somewhere else. The theme of the decay of a way of life in the Southwest was done much differently but more interestingly in
No Country for Old Men for example.
It was a little too much to have . I didn't feel that the historical context of the A-bomb leant anything meaningful to the characters' stories.
I also didn't care for the author's writing style which veered from flat Hemingway-like writing to almost purply prose.
September 14, 2022
There have been Stricklands on the ranch since the 1800's. These days, those living at the ranch are the family's two brothers, Ross and Bayliss and their families. Ross is married to Sara and they have two children, a daughter and an 18 year old son. Bayliss is married to Alida and they also have a daughter. Alida isn't happy with the farming life as she had to give up her teaching career to live there.
The year is 1941 and the war is raging. As the United States declares war after Pearl Harbor, it creates a family controversy. Jack, Ross and Sara's son, is determined to join the army and his father is determined to keep him on the farm. But once he is of age, it doesn't matter what his father wants and Jack goes off to war. He is stationed in Bataan and is taken prisoner where he remains for several years. His family is wrongfully notified that he was killed in the battle where he was taken prisoner and the effect of his death tears the families apart. The government is confiscating the ranch for a shooting range and the brothers must decide on what they will do. Marriages will end and one brother will be caught up in a tragedy that affects them all.
Although there are lots of World War II novels, this one is unique in its picture of how the war affected those who remained behind. The presence of a family member in danger affected everyone in the family and if that presence result in death or disfigurement, it could be a blow that the family could not come back from. Even if there were no family members in danger, war can ask sacrifices from everyone and the willingness of undergoing those sacrifices can vary greatly. This book is recommended for readers of historical fiction.
The year is 1941 and the war is raging. As the United States declares war after Pearl Harbor, it creates a family controversy. Jack, Ross and Sara's son, is determined to join the army and his father is determined to keep him on the farm. But once he is of age, it doesn't matter what his father wants and Jack goes off to war. He is stationed in Bataan and is taken prisoner where he remains for several years. His family is wrongfully notified that he was killed in the battle where he was taken prisoner and the effect of his death tears the families apart. The government is confiscating the ranch for a shooting range and the brothers must decide on what they will do. Marriages will end and one brother will be caught up in a tragedy that affects them all.
Although there are lots of World War II novels, this one is unique in its picture of how the war affected those who remained behind. The presence of a family member in danger affected everyone in the family and if that presence result in death or disfigurement, it could be a blow that the family could not come back from. Even if there were no family members in danger, war can ask sacrifices from everyone and the willingness of undergoing those sacrifices can vary greatly. This book is recommended for readers of historical fiction.
September 15, 2017
I would give this book a 5 star rating from the perspective of literary excellence. The use of language is startlingly beautiful and stunningly descriptive. The part that holds me back from a top rating is the story itself. While poignant in so many ways, the cruelty and sadness that plays out through the story is heartbreakingly hard to read. This book is definitely not for the faint of heart.
October 13, 2020
Very compelling and well written. It gives you a peak into the lives of a family while they navigate the impacts of war felt at home. It's the kind of story that feels sometimes slow and nothing is happening but in the end, every character is a completely different person than when the reader meets them.
September 30, 2012
after a rough start i finally got into this one and took it on. NMX 1940's, ranching life, brothers, son, wives, daughters, community, inheritance, failure, war, loss, bitterness, payback. it's all here and well done. not trite.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews