Scan barcode
A review by marilynw
The Shadow by Melanie Raabe
4.0
The Shadow by Melanie Raabe
There is so much foreshadowing and symbolism in this story. It's a work of art, in itself, with the gloomy, eerie, cold, atmosphere. It seems as if it's always nighttime, with descriptions of sounds and smells that bring back hazy memories of something sinister.
Norah Richter has recently moved to Vienna, from Berlin. She's lost her job and is being sued for reasons we don't know. Her long term relationship has been destroyed and now she's living in a big, empty flat. Norah seems to exist in her mind, often not noticing things around her unless the smells, sounds, and visuals remind her of sad, terrifying past events. I want to think she's in the middle of some kind of psychotic episode but Norah seems to be a hard worker, very good at her job, and has some devoted long time friends. But she rarely sleeps and her dreams are filled with blood and being unable to fix things. She's taken up smoking again, drinks way too much, sleeps with strangers and then kicks them out of her flat the next morning.
Strange things are happening, such as a beggar telling her, "On the eleventh of February, you will kill a man called Arthur Grimm . . . With good reason. And of your own free will." And then finding a tarot card that predicts death, being haunted by sights and sounds of Grimm, things disappearing or appearing in her apartment, her friends treating her differently or shunning her entirely. It's hard to know if Norah is a reliable narrator when everything about her seems so hazy and distant.
This story is very entertaining and the atmosphere is the star. Sights, sounds, smells, and darkness play big roles in the telling of this tale. It's amazing how the story can seem one way for so long and then there is an about face and it's something else, something that I was prepared for because I paid attention to the signs...but even as I paid attention, I couldn't trust what I thought was happening.
Published January 5th 2021
Thank you to House of Anansi Press Inc./Spiderline and NetGalley for this ARC.
There is so much foreshadowing and symbolism in this story. It's a work of art, in itself, with the gloomy, eerie, cold, atmosphere. It seems as if it's always nighttime, with descriptions of sounds and smells that bring back hazy memories of something sinister.
Norah Richter has recently moved to Vienna, from Berlin. She's lost her job and is being sued for reasons we don't know. Her long term relationship has been destroyed and now she's living in a big, empty flat. Norah seems to exist in her mind, often not noticing things around her unless the smells, sounds, and visuals remind her of sad, terrifying past events. I want to think she's in the middle of some kind of psychotic episode but Norah seems to be a hard worker, very good at her job, and has some devoted long time friends. But she rarely sleeps and her dreams are filled with blood and being unable to fix things. She's taken up smoking again, drinks way too much, sleeps with strangers and then kicks them out of her flat the next morning.
Strange things are happening, such as a beggar telling her, "On the eleventh of February, you will kill a man called Arthur Grimm . . . With good reason. And of your own free will." And then finding a tarot card that predicts death, being haunted by sights and sounds of Grimm, things disappearing or appearing in her apartment, her friends treating her differently or shunning her entirely. It's hard to know if Norah is a reliable narrator when everything about her seems so hazy and distant.
This story is very entertaining and the atmosphere is the star. Sights, sounds, smells, and darkness play big roles in the telling of this tale. It's amazing how the story can seem one way for so long and then there is an about face and it's something else, something that I was prepared for because I paid attention to the signs...but even as I paid attention, I couldn't trust what I thought was happening.
Published January 5th 2021
Thank you to House of Anansi Press Inc./Spiderline and NetGalley for this ARC.