By SARAH-JANE COLLINS
I don’t remember when it started, but for as long as I can remember I’ve harboured an irrational fear of lakes and rivers. Not water, not the ocean, but the cold, still, murky depths of lakes and rivers. I’m fine in the shallows, but once I can’t feel or see the bottom I freak out a little. I’m a strong swimmer, a former rower – exactly the kind of person you’d think could care less about how deep a lake is. I just can’t shake the feeling when I’m out there that I’m not alone.
This water has secrets, I usually think.
That is certainly true of the lake in British-Australian author Hannah Richell’s second novel, The Shadow Year, which is released this month.
The Shadow Year is an ambitious book, with overt Shakespearian themes – love, betrayal, power, jealousy. From the prologue alone – a woman, alone in a lake, suspended in the water, you can see his guiding influence.
The Shadow Year deals with parallel stories, staged some 30 years apart, which clearly must converge at some point.
The first involves a young woman, who is mysteriously bequeathed a run-down country cottage by a lake.
Lila is grief-stricken following an accident. Her marriage, and life as she knows it is just one wrong step away from falling apart.
The second narrative, set in 1980, involves a group of university housemates about to graduate who set out in search of a cool spot on a hot day. They discover a rundown cottage by a stunning, secluded lake and decide on a whim to live there for a year.
It is clear from the beginning that the two stories involve the same cottage, but not necessarily how they intersect. Richell deliberately avoids giving away too much too early, in case we piece the thing together. Instead we switch back and forth, from Lila to the young graduates, Kat, Simon, Ben, Carla and Mac, one month unfolding at a time.
Top Comments
I read The Shadow Year last week and (heads up, I'm about to make a big call) I think it's my favourite book of the year. The writing is beautiful, absolutely beautiful. And the lake is a character on its own, the writers ability to transport the reader to the isolated valley and lake is breath taking. And the story! Well, the bread crumbs from the author helped me piece the story together at the perfect pace but despite that I was still surprised at the end! Didn't see it coming, what a twist. I love a smart book and this book is definitely smart. Fabulous book, read it! I can't wait to read the authors first novel the secret of the tides...hope it's every bit as good!
I was actually going to suggest "The Shadow Year" for you to read when I had seen your post on facebook! But looks like you have already discovered just how amazing it is :)
You should definitely read her first book, "The Secrets of The Tides" which came out last year. It is every bit as good as Shadow Year and was my favourite book for 2012.