Beyond the shadow

by Pearl. Waggoner

This book was digitized and reprinted from the collections of the University of California Libraries. It was produced from digital images created through the libraries’ mass digitization efforts. The digital images were cleaned and prepared for printing through automated processes. Despite the cleaning process, occasional flaws may still be present that were part of the original work itself, or introduced during digitization. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found online in the HathiTrust Digital Library at www.hathitrust.org.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Historical, War, Holocaust, Novels

104 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2019

Reviews

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Ray Kingfisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read his book Beyond the Shadow of Night, I was looking forward to reading his new book as I really enjoyed his previous book called Rosa's Gold.

The story starts in the Ukraine in 1923, when two baby boys are born called Mikhail and Asher.
They live on a farm, they grew up together with their families and became best friends.
The story is about what happens to them during WW II, it describes the horror of the war, how they both had to make difficult choices to survive, and how what they did during the war effected both of them as older adults.

One fought in the Russian Army and one being Jewish had all his rights taken away from him and they both ended up being sent to the horrible concentration camp called Treblinka.

The story alternates between 1939 and the early 2000's in the United States.
Years after the war had ended, the men are reunited in the USA due to a article in a newspaper and become friends again.

One has changed his name to cover up what he did to survive the war, he is a harsh man who decided to never see his parents again, he wasn't a great husband and he was a controlling father.
The other lives alone, he never marries, he can't get over losing his first love and turns to alcohol to cope with his horrible experiences that still haunt him from the second world war and his loneliness as an adult.

I really enjoyed The Shadow Of Night, it's about how hard life was during WW II, choices people had to make to survive and how decisions they made at the time still effected them years later, secrets they kept, how they started over in a new country and tried to cover up the past. I gave the book four stars and look forward to reading more books by Ray Kingfisher. I have shared my review on Goodreads, Amazon Australia, NetGalley, Twitter and my blog.https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/

[Estela · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was difficult to get through, and for the wrong reasons. In this story centered around both the Holocaust and a 21st century murder, the characters are so grossly underdeveloped that I had a hard time developing any kinds of emotions or ties to them. In fact, I ended up highly disliking Diane, one of the characters, BECAUSE she is almost devoid of any emotion herself, both about her father’s murder and her relationship with her boyfriend. The dialogue between characters was forced and unnatural. The settings were mostly ignored. There’s just no substance to this story, which is a shame since it had great potential.

[Stefanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of two childhood friends, Asher (who is Jewish) and Mykhail. They grow up together on a large farm enjoying the lazy fishing days of summer and the carefree moments of childhood. War is looming on the horizon, the Germans and Russians are at each other’s throats. This drives Asher’s family to safety (or so they think) to Poland while Mykhail and his family remain in Ukraine. The dear friends are pulled apart to go through life during a war that strips them down and slowly kills their wills to live.
The historical chapters are interesting and held my attention for the most part. I enjoyed getting the viewpoints of Asher and Mykhail in alternating chapters. With Asher being Jewish and Mykhail being Ukrainian, their stories took very different turns during WWII.
The thing that made this book not so great for me? The present day chapters. I felt that a completely different author wrote those chapters and a lot of the time I sped read through them because they weren’t written with the draw that the historical chapters held in them. They were choppy and out of place for me. The character these chapters followed, Diane, the daughter of one of the main characters (I won’t say which to avoid a spoiler) was so hard to relate to and completely annoyed me. I would have rather her parts been eliminated and just keep the historical chapters and then bring it to present time at the end to wrap up Asher and Mykhail’s stories. It would have made the book a lot smoother in my opinion.
I enjoyed this book in spots, but the present day chapters really hurt this book for me. It wasn’t as good as other historical fiction novels that I’ve read recently. The historical chapters were well done though and I could tell a lot of research was incorporated. The beginning was slow, but it picked up about halfway in.
So, overall? This book was an okay-ish one for me. Didn’t love it, but didn’t hate it.

[LenaRibka]

DNF at 30%

The premise sounded interesting and I was looking forward to reading this one, but unfortunately my expectations were not met. After hours and days of struggling with this book I decided to give up.

It is a pity, because this historical novel seems to have a lot of potential, though - to put it mildly - is not well done: shallow characters who left me emotionally detached, poor writing filled with clichés, melodramatic dialogue and a predictable plot line. Well, it is my personal opinion after 30%, though what's "cheesy" to me might be perfectly good to someone else (considering its average rating), so don't see this review as an advice to skip this book, you could enjoy it.


***ARC kindly provided by the author via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.***

[Wendy Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-crafted book. It was so interesting to see another aspect of the horrific conditions people endured during the Second World War: the choices that were made to survive. The author skillfully captures moments of raw emotion. I recommend this read.

[Linda Galella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Divided by the ravages of war and nationality, the lives of 2 Ukrainian boys are followed thru WW2 to an unusual outcome. One is Jewish, the other isn’t and to start with, they don’t care. They hear things their parents say but live their lives on the same farm as “brothers in every way but blood”.

As Hitler advances and the boys mature, the families separate and each young man is forced into situations that will effect his life for its entirety. The writing is gruesome at times just like the history. It’s not flagrant but filled with the emotions of the characters. It could have been more expansive considering the great characters in this story. Most of them were left undeveloped and I wanted to hear more from them and learn more about them.

I felt the same way about Warsaw. The author missed an opportunity to give the reader an immersive experience with regards to the Jewish area as there was very little descriptive prose. This happened with the scenes in Treblinka as well. Both these locations are pivotal to the story and deserved more attention from Mr Kingfisher.

Woven into the historical fiction is a contemporary mystery that pops up every 2-3 chapters. It has to do with an event that occurred with one of the young men 60 years ago. The author handles this aspect well and these chapters meander in without being disruptive. The solving of the mystery won’t be any great surprise but it is an unusual element for an historical fiction novel.

“Beyond the Shadow of Night” is a decent read. The language is clean, there’s no gratuitous violence and no sexual content. Unfortunately, there’s really nothing outstanding about it either 📚

[Tate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not bear to continue reading

I had high hopes for this book as I am beginning to enjoy historical novels. I tried to get through it but gave up at page 70. The writing style is terrible. I felt that I was reading a first time short story by a thirteen year old.

[Leslie Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and sad story

I couldn't put it down!! I also learned a part of history I did not know about World War 2

[Niki (nikilovestoread) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I had to take sides. Surely you can see I had to do that to survive. Yes, it sounds terrible in this day and age of plentiful food and shelter. But history doesn't know the future. Context is everything. So I volunteered. I thought I was doing the right thing..."

In Beyond the Shadow of Night, a World War II story by Ray Kingfisher, we meet two young Ukrainian boys born days apart in 1923, one Jewish and one not. They grow up together and share a bond of brotherhood in all but name. As World War II approaches, they are separated when the Jewish family moves to Warsaw, Poland to be closer to family. As the war progresses, we follow both boys and their families through their very different experiences during the war.

I absolutely loved this one! I really enjoyed learning more about what the war was like in the Ukraine and Warsaw, Poland. Ray Kingfisher doesn't hold back. He pulls all the punches and tugs on the heartstrings. While the story is completely different, in some ways the writing reminds me a bit of Elie Wiesel's writing in Night. It's powerful, raw, and disturbing. I love reading World War II fiction, but often authors just skim the surface about how badly things really were. We can't always judge history accurately. We can say "I would never have done that," but, in reality, we can't know what we would have done when faced with some of the things people were during World War II. It was brutal. Sometimes, there was no good choice.

If you enjoy WWII fiction, you MUST READ THIS ONE. It really focuses on a different aspect of the war. The choices that we make and living with those choices and how they affect the rest of our lives.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing for the gift copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Jennie Louwes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where the stories of three overlap, intertwine, and meet you'll find yourself wrapped within the pages of "Beyond the Shadow of Night."

A good book. At times easy to read. Many times hard. An unequal balance, but how to be any different when set inside the time of World War II and the Holocost?

Dialogue heavy.

Easy to get caught up in the lives of the two male characters, and their families, during war times. Much harder to feel your way inside of the daughter's life of one of them. However, as you turn the last page you're satisfied by all three even if you had wished things had ended differently.

Moments/Questions that have followed me since closing this book's covers:

As an only child, one man was taught self-preservation from a young age. Things learned in ones youth, more often than not, take a hold like nothing else. When placed in a position where you must choose between being killed or taking part in killing others what choice would you make?

"Everyone is guilty of something it's only a question of scale" (page 355).

We can't judge others when we haven't walked in their shoes. Placed in unthinkable, unbearable, intolerable situations some snap and break while others find a place to hide, within themselves, and become numb to the horror they've become a part of.

Although the other man in this story was a giver, and had been taught to help others, he too came to a place within his life's story where he had little choice: Death or taking part within the death of others.

"Do. Ignore. Repeat." (page 225). A robot acting on command; disassociated and no longer human. Just as the bodies he had to "process" were just that: Bodies, having never been alive, "meat" meant to be reduced to ashes.

At some point, when able to come up for air at the other end, and the breath you take is no longer acrid flesh but fresh; you must find a way to begin again where the past has been buried and accepted, where one life ends and you make choices to recreate yourself into someone new.

However, the past haunts; how can it not?

How then do you move forward? "Allow yourself thoughts of what might have been then accept the chance has gone" (page 366).

At some point you have to stop wasting time longing for a past you never had (page 369). The above being the greatest lesson this book provides; and, it's a layered one far beyond just simply reading it out loud.

[Tanya Plonske Seneff · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading a handful of exceptional books recently, both fiction and non-fiction, around WW2, this book was simply too simple. A solid storyline, but it skipped over what it shouldn't have and hovered on what wasn't needed. If I read Brad's response of "you can tell me in your own time when you are ready" one more time, I would have thrown my Kindle across the room. At least it had a happy ending.

[Maryam Rz.]

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher, Lake Union Publishing!

In this epic tale of friendship and loss from the author of The Sugar Men, fate pushes childhood friends to opposite sides of a terrible war—but is forgiveness always possible?

A World War II Historical Fiction by Ray Kingfisher, whose other books I've been dying to read! I need to dive into this ASAP.

[Jessica McRoberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh My Goodness!

I started and finished this book in one day. I found it fantastic!
I will warn you that about 50% of the way through, I found it very emotionally hard to read.

[Melissa Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A well written book that had great characters and a good but heart wrenching story. I enjoyed the story of the past and the mystery of the present. It all ties up at the end in the present with a neat little bow. The mystery was pretty simple. I think you can figure it out fairly early in the book but it still was a nice little twist.
I did have a couple issues with the book though. I really didn't like Diane a whole lot. I know she went through relationship issues with her dad but to watch how she treated her boyfriend and how he just stood there and took it for so many years, well I just didn't care to read those chapters. My other peeve was the friends constantly saying brothers but not of blood. After the first 10 times, I get it.
All in all it was a very good read.

[Rex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suspect, totally without proof, that Beyond the Shadow of Night is not the book Ray Kingfisher originally intended to write. Based upon my knowledge and appreciation of his previous works - most all of which I have read (at least the ones published under this pseudonym) - I sense his publishing team got their hooks into this and forced some "improvements" on him with the single goal of selling more books.

To me, this is a real problem today in not only the publishing industry, but film, music and especially television. It seems these creative teams get together in a conference room, set up a whiteboard and write down the current formula designed to lure as many people as possible to buy their product. The artist(s) behind the project are then required to follow that formula or run the risk of their efforts never seeing the light of day. It's economics plain and simple. I get it. With the exception of the few surefire, million-seller auteurs out there, the accountants run the show.

Sorry for that rant...

Out of my tremendous respect for Mr. Kingfisher's talents as demonstrated in his other titles - most notably the marvelous The Sugar Men and Rosa's Gold, I decided to not write a conventional review of this third book in his Holocaust Series. I'm not sure at whom to level my criticisms, so I'll keep them to myself. However, I hope the author applies his impeccable research and writing skills to the topic again soon.

[Paul Manytravels · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is difficult for me to review because I have such mixed feelings about it. The book uses a contemporary setting, event and time as a vehicle for actually telling a story about the Holocaust, and herein lies the first problem. The characters and situations portrayed in the contemporary setting lack authenticity. As characters, they are not credible. The development of their characters is too shallow, too incomplete to really know much about them. When the author attempts to make it seem as if he intended for that to be the case by explaining their behaviors in the last chapters of the book, his explanation is again too superficial for credibility.
While Diane’s character is dealt with in the final chapters, the character of Brad, the schmuck who tolerated her for years, is not amplified. He has put up with too much to be a realistic character, even IF there were a reasonable explanation for Diane’s behavior.
The scenes in the Nazi Death Camps are vivid, detailed, lengthy nod overwrought. While at first, they generate the kind of revulsion in the reader that the author intended, they drag on for so long that empathy and sympathy are difficult to maintain, and I found myself thinking, “OK. I get it. Move on.”
In creating these situations, however, the author has also developed moral tension, something found in far too few modern novels.
Both of the two main characters are forced to make moral choices, one much worse and more fundamental than the other. The novel portrays them each wrestling briefly with their moral decisions before making them. Since the real central theme of the book deals with moral dilemma and difficult choices, there should have been more attention paid to the struggles the consciences of the two characters had. They each resolve their moral challenge too quickly and with far too little moral introspection.
While the ending of the novel deals with what each did to face his lifelong
moral turmoil and the consequences of the moral choices each had made while in the death camps, even in that portrayal, the struggles lacked depth and failed to elicit poignancy.
William Faulkner, when accepting his Nobel Prize, said, “Good literature portrays the human heart in conflict with itself,” which is really an excellent description of what “moral conflict” means. This book had an opportunity to delve into that conflict but chose instead to only give us only a snapshot of it.

[Nancy Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

There have been so many books written about the World War II time period that it's difficult to find one that approaches it from a new angle. This book did that with the story of two Ukrainian boys born only a few days apart, one Jewish and one not, who grew up closer than brothers. They were separated as teenagers when the Jewish family moved to Warsaw to be closer to relatives. The beginning of the book moved a little slowly, but the pace picked up as the German invasion of Poland grew closer. The descriptions of life within the Warsaw ghetto as well as the concentration camp at Treblinka were extremely well done. I learned about both the Holdomor when Stalin attempted genocide of the Ukrainian people by starvation and the Trawniki, Eastern Europeans who collaborated with the Germans rather than die in POW camps. But what made this book a 5 star read for me was the other over-reaching issues it explored: guilt, regret, forgiveness, the effects traumatic events have on future generations. My favorite sentence was this: "He said that sometimes circumstances stop us being the people we'd rather be." Highly recommended!

[Rhonda Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to review this book and rate it for several reasons. The premise of the story is good and I like what he was trying to show- how war at that time didn't give one many choices, that you really just had to survive, no matter what it takes, and to judge one's actions can be unfair. I also like that it shed some history of Ukrainian and the situation there during the war. It really is heartbreaking and sad, and many don't realize these past tragedies to all that had to survive in that time. But, I only gave this book a 3 star because it didn't read well consistently throughout. In some places I really felt the story, then the next part I would not like at all. I didn't like the present day part of the story, and even though I liked the 2 stories of veering off of the friendship between the 2 men, I didn't like how they came back together, and how long it took to tell that part of the story. I have also read the author's 2 previous books, also around ww2. They were good as well, but not great. So if you have read lots of books in this time period, this one may not rank up there with the better ones.

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. I'm a sucker for WWII novels, especially when it deals with a part of the war that is a bit unknown to me. This delt with what happened to people in Ukraine, and that part of the story was fascinating. I would have rated this much higher if the "current day" part of the novel wasn't in it. I couldn't stand Diane or her pathetic interactions with her long time boyfriend Brad. I understand the need for having someone in the present day, but she was so unlikeable and so was Brad. Ugh, I skipped some of their dialogue all together. But the WWII stuff, that was pretty good. So I'm torn on recommending this. Give it a go if you can overlook Diane.

[Jenni DaVinCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so pleased that this book has finally come out! As soon as it arrived, I wasted no time in diving right into it.

As with the other two books in Kingfisher's historical fiction series (The Sugar Men and Rosa's Gold), this book takes us on a journey between past and present, specifically focusing on certain events in WWII in the past and how it impacts the characters of the present. This book takes us to the Ukraine and Poland, before, during, and after Nazi occupation. Many people are aware of what occurred in Poland during that time, but Kingfisher seemed to nail exactly what it was like at the time. We obviously know the outcome of what Jewish people in Warsaw had to go through, but reading about the characters and their thoughts as they're going through it was quite interesting. They had no idea how bad it was going to get, and their faith in the humanity of others is presented very accurately. The diminishing of that faith plays a part too, and is equally interesting to read about. Heart breaking too.

I really found it interesting to read about what was going on in the Ukraine for the portions that took place there. It's not something I have often heard about when it comes to WWII. Yes, this is fiction, but it is quite clear that Kingfisher did his research in order to accurately represent what his characters were going through.

The back and forth between past and present was beautifully done. There's a big event that takes place from the get-go and as the story progresses and as we learn about the characters more, we get to figure out the circumstances surrounding the event. I know, I know, that was a very vague thing to say but anything else would lead to spoilers!

Kingfisher is very good at writing believable characters that have more layers than what we can see from the surface. I really did not like Diane at first, but as I learned more about her and her life leading up to the big event, I started to sympathize for her. Brad is the most patient man that I have ever read. Most men would not put up with that BS, especially since Diane isn't exactly a catch, so to say. The characters of the past were brilliantly done as well.

The only negatives that I have to say about this book are the random occurrences of British-isms. The present day takes place in America, and so certain things sound off coming from an American speaker. The usage of 'Mother' and 'Father' instead of 'Mom' and 'Dad' sounded wrong in my head. However, since Diane's Dad is European, I suppose it could have been something she learned from him or something he demanded of her. It's just not often that you hear an American speaker using the more formal 'Mother' and 'Father', though it's not unheard of. The other one was 'getting on' with someone. It sounds off for an American to be saying that, and sounds very British. We tend to say we 'get along' with someone, rather than 'get on'. These are very very minor things and do not take away from the book at all. Going back and reading that paragraph does sound rather nitpicky.

Overall, this is a very well written and entertaining book. The horrors of WWII will always be an interesting subject. Kingfisher approaches it respectfully, accurately, all while weaving in a fantastic fictional story represented by believable characters who are going through so much.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is about two boys – friends almost from birth in 1923 – who grow up in Ukraine. One of the boys (Asher) is Jewish and the other Ukrainian, and they are inseparable. When Asher’s parents decide they must move to Warsaw, both boys are devastated. They meet again, years later, but in a very different world.

Kingfisher’s sparse writing style while almost apropos for the subject matter will leave many readers feeling cheated somehow. He has golden opportunities to reel his readers into this historical story, but lets the opportunities pass him by. Even his descriptions of the two boys leaves readers wanting more about each of them in order to more easily relate to them. When Asher reaches Warsaw, another opportunity is lost because Kingfisher fails to adequately describe not only the city but the events leading up to the destruction of the Jewish Ghetto. And then there is Treblinka concentration camp.... The old writers’ adage “show, don’t tell” should have been used to better advantage by Kingfisher.

If you love historical fiction, you might enjoy this book or if you know nothing about the events in the Ukraine or Poland during WWII, you might enjoy learning something about this period and place in history. But if you are looking for a well-written book with well-developed characters and learning about a unique setting, this may not be the book for you.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is usually a genre I am so interested in reading. It just drug on with no real connection to the characters or the history. There were a few chapters I had to just skip through. I was expecting so much more.

[Jeanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
Emotional love and loss of a book great characters a very interesting story highly enjoyable.

[Marina Kantorova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great novel! Different point of view of WWII

[Dayna Hudgin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a compelling look into the lives of people, forced to do things beyond the imaginable, in WWII. This book takes a peak at people who stood on both sides, some who were forced into impossible choices. A viewpoint I’ve not thought much about. The author does a marvelous job of helping the reader to contemplate the reality that so many people experienced.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this novel down. I have become addicted to Mr. Kingfisher's historical novels.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read of this era. The author has a way of keeping you interested. The story was so intense that it seemed like you were still there and the pain you were reading was yours. A terrible time in our history but a lovely story of two friends who were separated and had to deal in their own way of what was happening in the world and how they were a part of it.

[Jacqueline Everett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible- 3rd stand alone- Out of the three audibles- this one was very interesting and really enjoyed how the author was able to make one (me) wonder what they would do in a life or death situation. Many of the stories about those that survived in the concentration camps always has ne look deep into my soul as what I would do. could I make some of the choices made by others, mentally would I survive or physically. The will to survive flows deeper then blood in some and non existing in others.

[Ana León-Arango · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part was really good

The first part was more narration than conversation and was really good. Then you get to the present where it's mostly dialogue and the conversations are so polite and perfect and dull and unrealistic. I just wanted to skip past all the dialogue and get back to the actual storyline except toward the end it's mostly just dialogue and it really lost steam for me.

[Vicky Peplow · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting book with some good characters but took me a while to read as I honestly didn't feel drawn into the book.

The three different storylines blend together great to give an overall story and I learnt a few things along the way which I didn't realize, I didn't know or had forgotten about.