Shadow Is a Colour as Light Is

by Michael Langan

Over a century after Cézanne’s death his art still obsesses and enraptures. And for the characters in this multifaceted novel, the painter’s work is of crucial significance.

In Hong Kong, will billionaire art collector Walter and his son ever be reconciled? In Liverpool, will artist Nick find peace? In New York, can Joel and Sophie mend their relationship with the help of Cézanne’s work in the Metropolitan Museum? Through these multiple narratives Michael Langan deftly explores human relationships and can art ever save us?

Genres: Fiction, Art, Relationships

Audible Audio

Published September 27, 2019

About the author

Michael Langan works as a freelance editor, manuscript assessor, and writing mentor, and also facilitates creative writing workshops and critical reading seminars. He studied English Literature in the 1980s, Cultural History in the 1990s and, in 2005, was awarded a PhD in Creative Writing from Liverpool John Moores University. He taught Creative Writing and English Literature at Greenwich University, London, for ten years before giving it all up to focus on his writing life.

Michael was Arts Editor of the online LGBTQ arts and culture journal, Polari Magazine, during which time he wrote on visual art, cinema, and books. Highlights included interviewing the novelists Edmund White and Tom Spanbauer, and the filmmaker Sebastien Lifschitz. For the past 8 years he has joined forces with The Literary Consultancy, London, to offer manuscript assessments to emerging LGBTQ+ writers as part of TLC’s Free Reads scheme. He has also devised and delivered Queer-themed tours of the permanent collections of major art institutions, including Tate Britain in London and the Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon.

Michael was born in the same house his parents lived in, on the Wirral, for most of their lives. He now resides in Lisbon with the Portuguese artist Henrique Neves, who he married in 2016, and can hardly believe his luck.

Reviews

[Celia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The dramatic layers of both shadow and light are what make this book unique - a dazzling journey through grief, love, passion and dependency, with human frailty at its centre. Descriptions of Cezanne and his incredible talent blend and merge with the lives of the other characters, creating an intense feeling of impending doom but also the prospect of dazzling colours bursting into black and white existences. I adored it!

[Fleurtje Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning story, a bit about of the life of Cézanne, but mainly how his paintings affected others. Beautifully written, layered, poetic :

'But he wants merely to be an apple, nestled in the folds of the crumpled cloth, given shelter and protection by the outstretched leaves of a pot of primroses.'

Makes you want to visit a museum for artworks by Cézanne.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book.

[Nick Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cézanne, the artist, holds together the strands of multiple narratives in this ambitious debut novel.
Perhaps, a little too ambitious. There’s a lot of competing voices in the book: artists, businessmen, actors, directors. Keeping up with everyone as we flip-flop through the narrative can be quite exhausting.

The art of Cézanne provides the love and losses that are the central themes for the novel. A son’s love for his dying father, love between the director and his principle actor, peace for a struggling artist.

But there is a payoff to all this effort. Langan’s ability to describe is beautiful. Whatever it may be, sounds, sex, sights, Langan is able to take us there. “[T]he only sounds the pencils whispering against the paper.” Whether we are in the world of Paul Cézanne, in 1868 Paris, or a Liverpudlian film director in 2008, the reader is transported to that world through vivid description.

There are, maybe, one or two too many voices in this cleverly interwoven tale. Keeping track of the different strands as a film of Cézanne’s life gets made: the artist, the financier, the actor and director. The leaps between times and voices a little confusing at times especially if we haven’t heard that voice for a while.

For me, the description easily rescues the complex layering of the plot. If nothing else, read this beautiful passages of description and a lesson in tying together many, many strands.

[Nancy Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time rating this book. I think it was more of a 3 1/2 star book for me. It was a beautifully crafted book in many ways. As an artist, I chose it for the Cezanne themes. I had a bit of a hard time keeping the names straight and some story lines drew me in more than others. Some scenes will stick with me for life.

[Lottie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wasn't sure if I would like this book, I don't know anything about Cezanne! However Michael Langan's vivid writing painted astonishing pictures of the paintings, characters and settings. I have to confess to being a bit frustrated at some of the unfinished stories, I got invested in the characters and I wanted to know if they would be OK! All in all a compelling and enjoyable read.

[Jethro Soutar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something for everyone here, art, life, Liverpool, apples... Great stuff.

[Angi Thorstenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

[Bryon Fear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shadow Is A Colour, As Light Is weaves the seemingly unrelated narratives of several intriguing characters whose lives are all affected and profoundly impacted upon by the work of Paul Cézanne. Each story unfolds to reveal or rather expose (often brutally) its characters and through their experiences and their fragmented relationships to his paintings they ultimately reveal (piece by piece) the artist himself.

At its heart, like all good novels, the book is about its character's relationships and interactions that reveal, often unwillingly, the hopes, desires and fears that make us human, with all its brilliant and flawed aspects.

Stylistically, Langan's prose is rich, engaging and lively, though very occasionally it teeters on the drier verges of art criticism & theory, but those moments are brief and inconsequential to the florid and keenly observed descriptive passages; daubed and applied with frenetic and broken strokes which recreate Cézanne's works in words on the page as vividly as if we were stood observing them in a gallery, reminding us of the affecting power of art to transcend time and place. Which is the point.

Highly recommended!

[beautyandthebookworm_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose this book based on the title and wanted so much to love it, but I didn’t. It was a slog to get through it and none of the characters particularly grabbed me. If you’re in the art world, this may appeal to you. Whilst some of the plot was well written, I just didn’t find it enjoyable.

[Gayle B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It really has several separate stories about friends and family but they are all connected by art, especially by the famous artist, Paul Cezanne. The chapters go back and forth between the stories. I like that type of writing. It is a story about complex relationships; friends, lovers, father and son. Interesting information about Cezanne's life is shared.
His painting, "Apples with Jug" is in all of the stories. This made me go look up the painting.
I received a free copy and volutarily provided this review.

[Hannah Persaud · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Shadow is a Colour as Light is,” is a beautifully constructed and multi-layered tale of love, loss and inner turmoil. Cezanne’s works are central to this story and provide a colourful and textured exploration into what it means to love and be loved, and what it is to be seen, and to see. Would warrant a second reading, which I might do soon. Highly recommend this book to art lovers and lovers of life, alike.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Cezanne’s paintings, this novel explores our human condition through multiple perspectives. Some characters move from tragedy; others through it, others toward it. Cezanne’s genius provides the gravitational center for each. This is a thought-provoking work that explores how art moves, influences, and inspires. For anyone interested in Cezanne, art, or the flawed but persistent state of humanity.

[Pippa Beecheno · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful exploration of human insecurity and connection, the impact of art on the senses and the way we view the world and each other. Intricate and deeply moving, the stories of these characters, in all their diversity, are linked by their connection with Cezanne. This is a stunningly vivid read that delves into the heart and mind and had me gripped from its startling beginning right through to its dramatic end.

[Sam Jenks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd heard Michael was a great mentor/tutor. I love Cezanne's paintings and I love Liverpool (one of the settings) so I couldn't resist this when it came out. I wasn't disappointed. I found myself inside many of the characters and stories, they rang so true. The threads were expertly intertwined though personally I would have preferred a couple of fewer threads. For me, the writer tapped into the power and soul of the paintings. I'm looking forward to seeing what he publishes next.

[Tracey Langan · Rating 5 out of 5]

With its brilliant descriptions of people's lives entwined with Cezannes art (which when I googled the mentioned pieces, could relate even more to the characters) this book kept me enthralled right to the end. Beautifully written, loved it.

[Annie Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

As detailed and beautiful as a Cézanne painting, this is a rich and complex story of family, love and grief. The characters are depicted with exquisite attention to detail and its multi-layered narrative is heartfelt and compelling. A stunning novel about art and its impact on our lives.

[Alan Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

Really enjoyable book. Excellent characters, interesting themes throughout and stimulated a new interest in Cezanne for me. Looking forward to seeing more from Michael

[Candis Flesher-Dodds · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT!!!
This is such a difficult book to review -because it touches us so much on so many levels. I was drawn initially by the idea of shadow as a colour -because I paint.. Michael has used the works of Cezanne as an allegory around which to wrap the narratives of his various protagonists. The stories seamlessly flow and blend at the denouement -beautifully. I love the honesty/ gutsiness of this authors writing -its so well crafted -you can almost touch the feelings/ and feel the depths -Shadows of colour are representative of pain-something we can't avoid living on this plane -As the scenarios -unfold- from New York to Liverpool-to Hong Kong and back in time in Paris and Provence scene by scene -like a film noir -the moods shift- and I preferring not to be a spoiler - will say there is a tragic thread running through each. Jeffrey, the CEO's son wants to avoid life by being an observer, hidden away, without touch, or feelings. Unrepentant, to the end, he is finally forced to acknowledge being the Lone Wolf is no way to live, his life. Our screenwriter hiding his passionate same sex relationship with his partner from the media and world succumbs to admit his truth -this is not how he wants to be in this world. Avoidance of acknowledging pain only begets more of the same. And are we meant to carry forward our childhood stories to perpetuity. Can't we leave our baggage behind- Denial did not serve Joel and Sophie-, or Nick and Maria. This work of art and make no mistake -it is poetic -and visually artsy -enthralled me -I read through the night -to finish -Now I'm sorry I did.
Beautifully done Michael. Gracias -

[Suanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shadow is a Colour as Light is, an ambitious novel even for a seasoned writer, is particularly ambitious as a debut novel. I started out not liking it and, after several false starts and stops, nearly put it aside as a did not finish. For some reason, I persisted and at about 60%, I ended up being glad I did as all the various story lines seemed to come together.

The art of Cézanne, the French Post-Impressionist artist, bind the book together. In addition to Cézanne, his wife, Hortense Fiquet, and his best friend, Émile Zola, characters include: a Chinese billionaire who invents a machine to replicate painting that are indistinguishable from the originals, his dead wife, his dead son (one of twins), his personal physician, his personal assistant, and the surviving twin who at the age of fifteen determines never to leave his apartment; a movie director, his assistant, the financier of the movie, the star who plays Cézanne; a poet and his ex-wife; Nick and his girlfriend (the future assistant to the movie director) in Liverpool; and other miscellaneous characters. Essentially all the characters are flawed, often fatally. They compete for space, and their stories don’t interrelate well until about the aforementioned 60% mark. Keeping track of the various characters, time shifts, and scenes in the movie and the personnel involved is at times difficult.

Cézanne’s art and life provide the central themes for the novel: love and loss. Author Lagan's descriptions of art and life are amazing as are his tie-ins with his characters lives and Cézanne’s art.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written book. Lyrical. Descriptions are lush. I was drawn to it because it is the exploration of how a disparate group in different parts of the world are influenced by the work of Cezanne.

There were a few too many characters and at first their stories were hard to follow. I think some of them could have been left out. The issues tackled are many and very serious: grief, alcoholism, suicide, child abuse, gay persecution.

The book's foundation is based on a work most readers will probably be unfamilar with. While Cezanne's more typical still lives of interior scenes play a big part in this book, there is a visceral portrayal of murder that Cezanne painted. This along with his troubled relationship with writer Emile Zola, give us the foundation upon the modern stories to launch.

I can't say I loved the book. All the characters were dark and troubled. Sometimes it was hard for me to stick with it. But I will say this writer gave it his all. The writing superb as is the research.

[Saudacaoaosol · Rating 5 out of 5]

The life and work of Cézanne reverberates through that of the characters in this sensitive novel via a series of repeated motifs and styles of relationships which are often wrought with deep trauma.

The novel explores themes of intimacy and the barriers that prevent individuals from attaining it, as well as engaging with broader philosophical questions around art - as a commodity; a a source of creative inspiration and as a means of salvation; as well as the human body as a form of artwork.

Although this is literary fiction, the expert way it holds tension together with the author's skilful intertwining of multiple narratives has echoes at times of good suspense fiction. Aesthetically it is rich, with a tone occasionally reminiscent of Almodovarean high melodrama and it's full of beautiful, shocking and memorable images.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book because I wanted to know how Cezanne's painting(s) affected the various characters. Yikes, sometimes not what I expected! The book was difficult for me to read because of the many characters and the skipping around in time, but as I got more familiar with the characters I understood the writer's reason for including them all, as well as how each was affected by one Cezanne painting.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of the characters are fascinating. I would’ve loved to find out more about some of them. The author paints pictures with his beautiful descriptions of Cezannes works. I pulled up pictures as the colors sounded gorgeous along with the imagery. I found Cezanne’s work to be rather dull in comparison but that denotes a talented author.

[Denise kwasnik · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good attempt at trying to tie together lives impacted by Cezanne’ art and life. Found it a bit disjointed and had hoped more cohesiveness in the story line. Ambitious work, but for me it missed the mark.

[Aline Soules · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fabulous. The imagery is stunning. And one of the core ideas of this book--how a painting affects people in different ways, depending on who they are and their circumstances in life--drew me in. As a writer myself, it reminds me to wonder about how our books affect others. There's deep thought behind this book and I value how Langan shares that with readers.