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jennrid 's review for:
The Shadow Land
by Elizabeth Kostova
This review originally ran on Brightly
I remember holing up with [a:Elizabeth Kostova|5918|Elizabeth Kostova|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1360044214p2/5918.jpg]’s debut, [b:The Historian|10785366|The Historian|Elizabeth Kostova|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328320841s/10785366.jpg|3061272], and devouring the book over a single weekend. Kostova’s follow-up, [b:The Swan Thieves|5983057|The Swan Thieves|Elizabeth Kostova|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1256542427s/5983057.jpg|6156487], was just as captivating. Her newest book, The Shadow Land, proves that the common threads in Kostova’s novels are beautiful writing, a weaving of the past with the present, and mystery that propels the plot forward.
Alexandra Boyd has just arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria, when she finds herself on the steps of the wrong hotel. As she contemplates what to do, she helps an elderly woman into a car, holding onto her bags in the process. After the car drives away, she realizes that she has accidentally kept one of the lady’s bags, which contains an urn. The mystery of finding the woman (and her companions) sends Alexandra on a journey across Bulgaria and throughout history.
There are two intertwined mysteries in The Shadow Land. The first is the question of what happened to the woman and the two men traveling with her. This mystery helps unravel the second mystery: Who is the person in the urn, and what was their story? Alexandra’s accomplice is a cab driver, Bobby, who drives her around Bulgaria and helps her on her fact-finding mission. In the process, readers also learn the reason why Alexandra has chosen to go to Bulgaria and uncover details about her own sad past.
Kostova was inspired to write the novel after more than 20 visits to Bulgaria. Bulgaria is not a common setting for novels, and its history is not very well known by many readers, yet it is part of the larger history of World War II, Communism, and labor camps. The Shadow Land is a beautiful book with descriptions of both the beauty and horror of a lesser-known country and its past.
I remember holing up with [a:Elizabeth Kostova|5918|Elizabeth Kostova|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1360044214p2/5918.jpg]’s debut, [b:The Historian|10785366|The Historian|Elizabeth Kostova|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328320841s/10785366.jpg|3061272], and devouring the book over a single weekend. Kostova’s follow-up, [b:The Swan Thieves|5983057|The Swan Thieves|Elizabeth Kostova|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1256542427s/5983057.jpg|6156487], was just as captivating. Her newest book, The Shadow Land, proves that the common threads in Kostova’s novels are beautiful writing, a weaving of the past with the present, and mystery that propels the plot forward.
Alexandra Boyd has just arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria, when she finds herself on the steps of the wrong hotel. As she contemplates what to do, she helps an elderly woman into a car, holding onto her bags in the process. After the car drives away, she realizes that she has accidentally kept one of the lady’s bags, which contains an urn. The mystery of finding the woman (and her companions) sends Alexandra on a journey across Bulgaria and throughout history.
There are two intertwined mysteries in The Shadow Land. The first is the question of what happened to the woman and the two men traveling with her. This mystery helps unravel the second mystery: Who is the person in the urn, and what was their story? Alexandra’s accomplice is a cab driver, Bobby, who drives her around Bulgaria and helps her on her fact-finding mission. In the process, readers also learn the reason why Alexandra has chosen to go to Bulgaria and uncover details about her own sad past.
Kostova was inspired to write the novel after more than 20 visits to Bulgaria. Bulgaria is not a common setting for novels, and its history is not very well known by many readers, yet it is part of the larger history of World War II, Communism, and labor camps. The Shadow Land is a beautiful book with descriptions of both the beauty and horror of a lesser-known country and its past.