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A review by cassieyorke
In the Shadow of the Past by J.E. Leak
5.0
Ken Follett's Jackdaws is the only other World War II spy thriller I've read, and I loved it. J.E. Leak's In the Shadow of the Past kept the pages turning with the same smooth urgency - maybe even more. Leak's chapters don't really end, and I mean that in the best way; the action flows so seamlessly from one chapter to the next that you won't notice the end of one chapter or the beginning of another unless you happen to catch the chapter heading.
"Shadow of the Past" follows two young American girls in the big city in the middle of World War II. One is a sunny, plucky reporter; the other a sexy nightclub singer with a silken voice, a secret life, and a dark past. It's love at first sight, though neither would admit it; they're both more complicated than an Enigma cipher. And though they've both got enough pride to float the entire American war effort, they still can't avoid their chemistry and attraction to each other. It never fully occurs to either of them that they're in love.
The action never stops, and these two active protagonists keep stumbling and making messes when they overthink everything and go out of their way to protect each other. Misunderstandings abound, and their infuriating pride keeps making things worse. All this happens while Kathryn's sense of duty to her secret life brings the cold cruelty of the war into the warm relationship struggling to create itself between the girls. The war rages in Europe, and Kathryn is eager to return to it, to suffer and die in it, steadfastly refusing to see the simple warm truth that Jenny represents - that happiness is right there, offering itself to her.
The thing I loved most about J.E. Leak's debut is that, in a way, her world tolerates these two lovely young women being together - even encourages it. Leak never says that wartime America isn't homophobic, but it's the big city, and these girls are so charming and popular that the world itself seems to see the truth that you see as the reader - that they belong together. The world doesn't try to keep them apart or force men into their lives to make them submit. The only obstacle keeping them from each other is their own character flaws. I *love* this. Jenny's sunny optimism seeps out into the narrative style itself and this tone - the ambient possibility in the air around the protagonists - is what makes the difference between a sad, painful romance and a cheerful one. And for me, that overall sense of hope pairs well with Leak's seamless action to tell a story where the pages fly by on their own, even when things seem the darkest.
I think, at its core, what I love the most about this story is that the protagonists never lose sight of themselves. They never change for anyone else, never give in to the idea that they need to get with men. No matter what happens in the plot, they never surrender their spirit. And as long as a woman never loses who she is, there's always hope.
That's why I came away from this novel happy that I invested myself in it.
And if the book's ending leaves you screaming and incredulous, never fear - the sequel is right around the corner. I already have my copy!
"Shadow of the Past" follows two young American girls in the big city in the middle of World War II. One is a sunny, plucky reporter; the other a sexy nightclub singer with a silken voice, a secret life, and a dark past. It's love at first sight, though neither would admit it; they're both more complicated than an Enigma cipher. And though they've both got enough pride to float the entire American war effort, they still can't avoid their chemistry and attraction to each other. It never fully occurs to either of them that they're in love.
The action never stops, and these two active protagonists keep stumbling and making messes when they overthink everything and go out of their way to protect each other. Misunderstandings abound, and their infuriating pride keeps making things worse. All this happens while Kathryn's sense of duty to her secret life brings the cold cruelty of the war into the warm relationship struggling to create itself between the girls. The war rages in Europe, and Kathryn is eager to return to it, to suffer and die in it, steadfastly refusing to see the simple warm truth that Jenny represents - that happiness is right there, offering itself to her.
The thing I loved most about J.E. Leak's debut is that, in a way, her world tolerates these two lovely young women being together - even encourages it. Leak never says that wartime America isn't homophobic, but it's the big city, and these girls are so charming and popular that the world itself seems to see the truth that you see as the reader - that they belong together. The world doesn't try to keep them apart or force men into their lives to make them submit. The only obstacle keeping them from each other is their own character flaws. I *love* this. Jenny's sunny optimism seeps out into the narrative style itself and this tone - the ambient possibility in the air around the protagonists - is what makes the difference between a sad, painful romance and a cheerful one. And for me, that overall sense of hope pairs well with Leak's seamless action to tell a story where the pages fly by on their own, even when things seem the darkest.
I think, at its core, what I love the most about this story is that the protagonists never lose sight of themselves. They never change for anyone else, never give in to the idea that they need to get with men. No matter what happens in the plot, they never surrender their spirit. And as long as a woman never loses who she is, there's always hope.
That's why I came away from this novel happy that I invested myself in it.
And if the book's ending leaves you screaming and incredulous, never fear - the sequel is right around the corner. I already have my copy!