Shadows move among them [Hardcover]

Edgar Mittelholzer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1951

Portraying the dark, authoritarian side of the utopian dream, this classic novel tells the story of the Reverend Harmston, a man devoted to building a microsociety in which there is a balance between the order that is necessary to produce livelihood and the freedom to fully explore sexuality. Setting up a commune in the remote Guyanese forest with the creed, “Hard work, frank love, and wholesome play,” the reverend attempts to construct an ideal society that opens up cross-cultural dialogue between the spirit of European enlightenment and the culture of the native Amerindians. Underneath its generally comic tone, however, there are notes of a darker spirit at play—such as Harmston's unquestioned authority and the brutal punishments he hands out—that eerily foreshadow the actual 1978 Jonestown Massacre, a violent event that occurred 27 years after the novel's initial publication.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Edgar Mittelholzer is the author of numerous novels, including My Bones and My Flute, and A Swarthy Boy, his autobiography.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 334 pages
• Publisher: Lippincott; First Edition edition (1951)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0007E4I4S
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,889,287 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars lyrical Imagery -- the Jungle Enchants!, June 12, 2007

By 

Georgianna M. Bergeron (Onyx, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shadows Move Among Them (Paperback)

This fascinating novel takes us right into the lives of the Harmston family and their home in the South American jungle. An intriguing array of characters unfold their personalities as we follow Cousin Gregory on his visit to this strange, lovable family. The jungle itself becomes real as the reader is immersed in the sounds, sights and smells of the bush, the plants, the animals and the river. And, of course, there are the shadows which move among them! Gregory, broken in spirit, seeks healing in this tropical retreat. We find that it permeates our spirit as well. A perfect read for a hot August weekend!

The writing is so beautiful in its descriptions, taking the reader right into the jungle, that I sought and read other books by the same author. Unhappily, I failed to find any with such extraordinary lyrical power. I reread this one on a regular basis, usually in the heat of the summer.

5.0 out of 5 stars Shadows Move Among Them, January 3, 2012

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Daniel Gamboa - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shadows Move Among Them (Caribbean Modern Classics) (Paperback)

I cannot believe this book had been out of print. I came across this thought-provoking and entertaining novel by looking up books written by guyanese writers.

Gregory Hawke is man in crisis. His relationship with work, his wife and his mother have pushed into him into becoming a shadow of the person he really is or ought to be. This crisis pushes him into looking for a safe place far from what is known as civilization in order to get better. This place is located in the guyanese jungle near the banks of the Berbice river.

This place is run by his aunt and her husband, the reverend Harmston, who is also in charge of a community of guyanese natives. However, Gregory finds himself in a community where he does not know what "civilized" and "savage" mean anymore. At times, Gregory does not even know what is "real" and "fake".

Linguistically rich and descriptive, Edgar Mittelhölzer's novel narrates Gregory's struggle, along with that of the reader's, at trying to discern what lies beyond these four concepts. Life and society's dogmas are put on trial in this novel in a very unorthodox way that it never becomes preachy or academic, but, on the contrary, entertaining and even funny at times.

Olivia, one of Gregory's cousin, is one of those characters that you hate to love and love to hate, for she can be both nerve-racking and charismatic during the entire novel.

All in all, "Shadows Move Among Us" is a book full of clever twists, very well developed characters and an exotic setting that comes alive on every page.