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Shadow Man: A Novel
Foreign correspondent James Ryan was there whenever the world in the Middle East, in the Balkans, in the former Soviet bloc. But now he can't remember these events; he can't recall anything long-term, except the summer of his fifteenth year following his mother's death. It was the summer his father told him to call him Kurt. The summer the mysterious and enchanting Vera burst into their lonely, quiet lives. The summer his own world opened, then irrevocably changed.
James, at fifty-two, suffers from a severe case of early onset Alzheimer's. The novel unravels James's predicament through the clear glimpses he retains of that long ago summer, and through the desperate attempts of his wife and his nurse to bring him back to the present, if only for stolen moments. Each has her his wife trying not to lose the man with whom she shared so much - wars, death, love, loss of a child, history. And his nurse, the half sister he never knew he had, needing James’s adolescent memory to understand the biological father and mother she never met.
Told from the perspective of a man betrayed by his own mind, Shadow Man is a novel of identity and suspense that travels across continents and deep into the pasts that make us each who we are. It explores the power of memory to heal and to mask, and of the limits of unconditional love. Set in Philly and the eastern shore of yesteryear, in the Middle East, and throughout Eastern Europe, Fleishman's trademark descriptive but spare lyricism shines. Shadow Man is a touching and haunting novel perhaps most similar to The Diving Bell and the Butterfly , though it is a work of fiction.
James, at fifty-two, suffers from a severe case of early onset Alzheimer's. The novel unravels James's predicament through the clear glimpses he retains of that long ago summer, and through the desperate attempts of his wife and his nurse to bring him back to the present, if only for stolen moments. Each has her his wife trying not to lose the man with whom she shared so much - wars, death, love, loss of a child, history. And his nurse, the half sister he never knew he had, needing James’s adolescent memory to understand the biological father and mother she never met.
Told from the perspective of a man betrayed by his own mind, Shadow Man is a novel of identity and suspense that travels across continents and deep into the pasts that make us each who we are. It explores the power of memory to heal and to mask, and of the limits of unconditional love. Set in Philly and the eastern shore of yesteryear, in the Middle East, and throughout Eastern Europe, Fleishman's trademark descriptive but spare lyricism shines. Shadow Man is a touching and haunting novel perhaps most similar to The Diving Bell and the Butterfly , though it is a work of fiction.
- GenresFiction
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 7, 2021
Without our memories, we become but a shadow of ourselves. So seems to be the case for James, who despite being only 52, has had his mind ravaged by dementia. Unusual, highly improbable even, in one so young, and yet there he is, in a facility, lovingly cared for by a woman in white. And there he is, on a Jersey shore, with his wife, Eva, who is desperately trying to trigger even the briefest of his returns to form mentally by telling James stories of their past.
And yet, to James, there are just that, stories, as personal as any fiction, and people around him are nothing but pleasant well meaning strangers, for his mind has already deleted most significant areas, save for one magical tragic summer. That summer has etched itself in James’ memory like a tattoo, every detail, every color, every word as vivid as if no time has intervened since. A summer when James and his dad, both still reeling from the death of their mother and wife respectively, met a strange, wild, wildly charismatic woman in a café and took a shore vacation together. They had joy, the had fun, they had a season (albeit such a brief one) in the sun and it changed the course of all of them and one more person they didn’t know about at the time. Vera, the stranger, is an exotic mix of femme fatale and damsel in distress, her gravitational allure proves irresistible for James’ dad and even James himself to a degree, she is a mystery, a whirlwind, something to take them away from their sadness…but like many whose appeal tends to be on the wild side there’s a dangerous side to her, she is a mind haunted and she has one of those Chekhovian guns in her bag. This really is James’ story, but Vera seems to be the bright star his mind orbits…or, more thematically accurately, a collision course asteroid.
James’ mind stubbornly refuses to connect with either Eva (who takes him to the shore where they were the happiest) or woman in white (and just wait until you hear her story), despite any efforts. An entire life, a productive, exciting life of an international journalist, a man of many travels and many great stories, extinguished by a heartless quirk of fate. A man whose memories have been deleted, leaving a clean slate onto which no new memories can be drawn or saved. It’s devastating, really.
And the author’s considerable talent renders that journey so vivid, so poignant, so thoroughly colored with compassion that never devolved into cheap sentimentality, it makes for a profoundly emotionally engaging read.
I’ve only read Fleishman’s My Detective, a noir mystery, that’s so radically different from this one, it isn’t a mere gear shirt, it’s an entire difference set of wheels. But, both feature excellent writing and a notable ability to tell a story succinctly and well. Both were very good. I enjoyed this book very much, great writing, both dramatic and character, compelling narrative. All the things you’d want in literary fiction. Recommended.
And yet, to James, there are just that, stories, as personal as any fiction, and people around him are nothing but pleasant well meaning strangers, for his mind has already deleted most significant areas, save for one magical tragic summer. That summer has etched itself in James’ memory like a tattoo, every detail, every color, every word as vivid as if no time has intervened since. A summer when James and his dad, both still reeling from the death of their mother and wife respectively, met a strange, wild, wildly charismatic woman in a café and took a shore vacation together. They had joy, the had fun, they had a season (albeit such a brief one) in the sun and it changed the course of all of them and one more person they didn’t know about at the time. Vera, the stranger, is an exotic mix of femme fatale and damsel in distress, her gravitational allure proves irresistible for James’ dad and even James himself to a degree, she is a mystery, a whirlwind, something to take them away from their sadness…but like many whose appeal tends to be on the wild side there’s a dangerous side to her, she is a mind haunted and she has one of those Chekhovian guns in her bag. This really is James’ story, but Vera seems to be the bright star his mind orbits…or, more thematically accurately, a collision course asteroid.
James’ mind stubbornly refuses to connect with either Eva (who takes him to the shore where they were the happiest) or woman in white (and just wait until you hear her story), despite any efforts. An entire life, a productive, exciting life of an international journalist, a man of many travels and many great stories, extinguished by a heartless quirk of fate. A man whose memories have been deleted, leaving a clean slate onto which no new memories can be drawn or saved. It’s devastating, really.
And the author’s considerable talent renders that journey so vivid, so poignant, so thoroughly colored with compassion that never devolved into cheap sentimentality, it makes for a profoundly emotionally engaging read.
I’ve only read Fleishman’s My Detective, a noir mystery, that’s so radically different from this one, it isn’t a mere gear shirt, it’s an entire difference set of wheels. But, both feature excellent writing and a notable ability to tell a story succinctly and well. Both were very good. I enjoyed this book very much, great writing, both dramatic and character, compelling narrative. All the things you’d want in literary fiction. Recommended.
November 19, 2012
This novel deals with alzheimers and its effect on the person who suffers from it as well as all the supporting family. James at the age of 52, has forgotten who he is, his wife Eva, and all his work as a reporter and his life across the globe during the lst 20+ years. The only thing he remembers vividly are his teenage years, after his mother died, his encounter with Vera, who befriended his father Kurt and him out of the blue in a restaurant. The whole story revolves around Eva's efforts to revive James's memories by narrating stories of the past and showing him paper clippings of his articles that he reported. Instead, James draws a blank and instead recollects, the majical moments when Kurt, Vera and he take a sudden unplanned road trip, stay at Virginia beach. The nurse who takes care of James, also has a secret. She is James half-sister, Vera and Kurt's daughter who has recently discovered her half-brother and wants to know him.
A sad story due to the subject. The scenes that remain with you are Kurt, Vera and James adventures together. Eva's narration is lackluster - her attempt to paint the mighty career of James could have been described in a better way by the author.
A sad story due to the subject. The scenes that remain with you are Kurt, Vera and James adventures together. Eva's narration is lackluster - her attempt to paint the mighty career of James could have been described in a better way by the author.
May 1, 2013
If you find a fiction work in the Alzheimer genre your going to be reading sad things. If you like reading about surf, sand and boardwalks you will like this book. If you also like mention of sixties sounds and TV shows there is plenty of that too. And of course "Zen and the art of tennis" by a shipyard boat painter. SPOILER... There isn't any surprise on what is going to happen to Kurt. The ocean is in my life everyday and I am very aware of what the tides are doing but this novel set a record for me of mentioning the tides and the waves.
October 24, 2012
Parts of this book were great but other parts (specifically, all the sections dealing with the present relationship with the wife) were stilted. The wife just didn't connect for me, largely because of the language she used. It felt unrealistic.
April 26, 2014
Interesting book. I didn't love the ending, but the book was certainly well-written.
April 5, 2022
A poignant and wonderfully told tale of the unravelling of a life.
January 17, 2013
i through it was wonderful book on a very sad subject
February 15, 2013
really beautifully written; being able to turn something tragic into something touching and poetic is a true gift.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews