In the Chameleon's Shadow

by Mark Hummel

“For years he had trekked over the globe, passing everywhere under a new identity, as if at the demarcation lines on maps that signaled the boundaries of towns or provinces or countries he shed one skin and donned another. He had tried on entire pasts, entire histories, wearing them as loosely as borrowed shirts.”

Aaron Lugner is a chameleon. A skillful con-artist hidden in plain sight, he creates camouflage by wearing his attractiveness like a kind of cloak and blends within the visions those around him desire, preying upon their vulnerabilities. He is despicable, yet why then, like the women he romances, do we like him?

When reminders from his past return Aaron to the US, he meets Myriam, a beautiful Amerasian, one of the “dust of life” orphaned by the Vietnam War. Desiring to change and convinced he is in love, Aaron vows never to lie to her. Away from Myriam, his lies begin to take on lives of their own. With her, his split selves threaten to collide.

Genres: Fiction

342 pages, Paperback

First published January 23, 2014

About the author

Mark Hummel's newest novel is a dark comedy titled MAN, UNDERGROUND. It is available now for preorder through Regal House Publishing: https://regal-house-publishing.mybigc...

Mark Hummel is the author of the novel IN THE CHAMELEON'S SHADOW and the story collection LOST AND FOUND. His short fiction, poetry, and essays have regularly appeared in literary magazines for over twenty years. Writing as Mark Leichliter, he is the author of a crime novel set in Northwest Montana: THE OTHER SIDE (learn more at www.markleichliter.com).

A twenty year veteran of teaching writing in college classrooms, he has also taught in a small, independent high school, served as the director of a Writers' Conference, worked as a librarian, and assisted many other writers as a freelance editor, ghostwriter, and writing coach. Hummel is the founding editor of the literary magazine bioStories (www.biostories.com).

Mark lives in Montana's beautiful Flathead Valley.

Reviews

[Jono Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just who do you think you are? How do you describe yourself to others? What kind of picture do you think your friends paint of you, especially when you’re not looking? How about people who only know you through work, or as the guy who’s that regular at the coffee shop who always orders the French Roast with skim milk and Splenda – do you think those acquaintances are on the same page about you as everyone else?

In the Chameleon’s Shadow, by Mark Hummel is a novel that got me thinking about questions like these having to do with one’s personal identity. The protagonist is a handsome young guy named Aaron Lugner. He’s a lady killer (not, literally, but then again maybe … ?) and a complete con artist who travels the globe, always one step ahead of his last scam. He seems quite comfortable in his own ever-changing skin until he meets a beautiful woman in Seattle and discovers that he loves her enough to want to come clean at last and reveal who he truly is.

The question is, can he actually do it? Even with the motivation to change his ways, and the inner strength to overcome the deep psychological need that compels him to protect himself with one disguise after another, having the “real” Aaron Lugner suddenly stand up and address the crowd is hardly a no-brainer. With such a long history of accumulated lies and deceptions he’s got a really big snarl of polyester thread to unravel. There are shadows within shadows in every linty corner. Each scam he devises means the creation of not just a new false identity for him, but a whole cast of imaginary people to play imaginary roles, with wrongs done to real people that must be reconciled. Meanwhile, the women he seduces aren’t exactly self-actuated mature adults, and to complicate matters even further, the woman who he thinks he really and truly loves has serious identity questions of her own. She’s an Amerasian orphan from Vietnam making her a “non person” in her native country with a ready-to-wear upper middleclass persona in her adopted country with no real clue about who she is beneath the façade, or what she wants to do with her life.

Halfway through Chameleon I said to myself, come on, this is ridiculous! How many clueless masqueraders can there be in one novel? But then I thought a bit more. I thought about the tricks and guises I’ve used from time to time all my life. Roles I’ve adopted to help fit in with the other kids, or to keep peace in the family or to show enthusiasm for a career that deep down didn’t truly interest me.

Turns out, I’ve got a lot in common with Aaron Lugner. How about you? Do you know who you are at your most basic core and are you true to that person at all times? In the Chameleon’s Shadow is not only a compelling love story, it is a novel that provides plenty of grist for any thoughtful person attempting to chart a meaningful course for him or herself in a world that rewards carefully packaged individuals with a clear plan over multi-faceted dreamers who go to their graves wondering what the hell they want to be when they grow up.

[Barbara Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so thrilled to find this new writer. I had read one of his short stories years ago--I still recall the title, "Sweetwater"--and remember then wishing he had books to read. What I found most remarkable about his novel is something I always marvel at, an ability to create a character I have absolutely no logical reason--maybe even no emotional reason as well--to like and yet like him, even though it is uncomfortable doing so. His character, Aaron Lugner, uses people. He cons them. He uses women--all things antithetical to how I want the world to work, yet Hummel not only shows you his conflicted elements, he slowly opens him in a way that makes you want to believe that he can change. Wrap this all up inside what I saw as an earnest, if troubled, love story, throw in the exotic elements of Vietnam and world travel and a strikingly disturbing look at the way Aaron's fabricated lies begin to become reality, and it is a very enticing book. I continued to think about it long after I finished it--always a best sign, I think--and found myself re-scrutinizing the role of lies within all of our identities, which made me face the uncomfortable realization of how frequently I lie to myself. I'm looking forward to see what else this writer produces.

[Wilmer Frey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend "In the Chameleon’s Shadow." It is a great read. It is full of life and mystery and surprise. There is much wisdom and much sorrow. I find Hummel to be an author of the first degree.

Here are a few specifics from the novel that I jotted down as I read. Noting these specifics added much to my reading experience.

The mirror (cracked/distorted) motif that follows Aaron.
The remarkable juxtapositions created by Aaron’s moves from conversation into physical action, or from being with others to being by himself.
The symbolic richness of the chameleon throughout the novel.
The biblical back story (Aaron/Miriam – Aaron/Myriam): wandering, wilderness, loss, deception, adoption, persuasiveness, Promise Land/ US/Asia.
Aaron’s Place (bar) – Aaron’s "place" in life/society.
The richness of the novel's last page: the tree, the shadow, the (permanent?) exile.
The remarkable sequence of events at the story's conclusion.
Myriam and the ironies that unfold via her story.
The ongoing insight into family and personality and love and loss and temptation.
The skillful pacing of the story to its unexpected end.
The remarkable presentation of sustained and meaningful conversation throughout the novel.

[Abbey Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a page turner! You become entirely invested in the characters and the authors level of description transports you to each scene. This author is one of a kind. He manages to create unique characters yet you feel like they have existed within your own life. The perfect mix of romance, suspense and adventure. The ending is completely unexpected and just as you think it's nearing an end you are immersed in a whole new adventure. Highly recommend this book to anyone. I can't wait to read more from this author!

[Carol Capuano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Hummel's In the Chameleon's Shadow is an extraordinary novel written by a an author who knows how to combine wit and intelligence to draw in and keep the attention of his readers. The language is fresh and enticing--story telling at its finest.

I would highly recommend this book and encourage all to read more of Mark Hummel's writing.

Five Stars! Well deserved. I can't wait to read it again.

[Steven Fellows · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I would never have found it if a friend hadn't suggested it to me. Glad he did. I thought it was really original and well written. The characters hooked me. I didn't expect exactly where it was going and I liked that. It was fun but made me think too. I hope this guy writes more books.

[Susan Yandell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great weekend read about a con-artist living a life full of lies; lies to his family, friends, lovers and himself. Full of psychological ins and outs and suspense, I loved this book up to the very last page.
I want to read more from this author.

[gj indieBRAG · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are proud to announce that IN THE CHAMELEON’S SHADOW by Mark Hummel is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!