Fiction Pick of the Week: The Shadow Year

The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford 2008

The Shadow Year is a riveting coming-of-age novel that reminds me of Robert McCammon's Boy's Life, a favourite of mine. The story is narrated by the younger brother, growing up in a dysfunctional family that still manages to instill a sense of love. The setting of small-town America in the sixties is depicted well, and each character seems so real. There is danger lurking in the town after a classmate disappears and the two brothers set out to solve the mystery, along with other incidents, with a replica of the town in their basement. There is an element of the supernatural when future events often unfold as the younger sister moves the pieces. Suspense is maintained as both a prowler and a sinister man trolling the streets in a white car are almost nightly occurrences. There is a real loss of innocence in this town, and the reader experiences it firsthand.