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Jason Quinn Malott

The Evolution of Shadows Paperback – October 20, 2009

by Jason Quinn Malott (Author)

6 ratings

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In July of 1995, the news photographer Gray Banick disappeared into the Bosnian war zone and doing so took away pieces of the hearts of three people who loved him: Emil Todorovic, his interpreter and friend; Jack MacKenzie, his mentor who taught Gray to hold his camera steady between himself and the worst that war presents; and Lian Zhao, who didn’t have the strength to love him as he wanted her to. Now, almost five years later, they have gathered in Sarajevo to find out what happened to Gray, the man who had taught them all what love is.

Each driven character in this novel believes fully that there is a love strong enough to sustain them, even in the extreme circumstances of war. But each time they have uncovered a glimpse of such a thing, they have failed tragically love itself.

Or, to see it another way, this is a novel about how love fails us every time—or almost every time.

Print length

253 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Unbridled Books
Publication date

October 20, 2009
Dimensions

6.14 x 0.69 x 8.96 inches
ISBN-10

1932961844
ISBN-13

978-1932961843
See all details

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Malott follows several characters negotiating the searing and scarring effects of war in his trenchant debut. In 1995, Chinese-American Lian Zhao travels to Sarajevo looking for her lover, Gray Banick, an American journalist who has disappeared. She's helped by Jack MacKenzie, Gray's mentor, and Emil Todorovic, Gray's interpreter. Malott explores each character, opening their lives to expose the wounds the war has inflicted upon them. While the novel does include its share of wrenching battle scenes, its emotional center comes from more nuanced themes: the friendship between Gray, Jack and Emil; Gray and Jack's addiction to war journalism; the hopelessness of Lian's loveless marriage; Jack's nihilistic attitude after being surrounded by death for so long. This could easily have been a clichéd war diary, but Malott avoids the pitfalls of sentimentality, providing a refreshingly clear-eyed evocation of friendship, love and loss. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“Malott employs a matter-of-factness that emphasizes the horrific unlikelihood of his war stories. All the while, he pulls the reader from one story to the next, from one period and place to another—from present-day Bosnia back to Kansas City, where Gray lived; from the search for Gray back to his days in the war.”—Bookforum.com

“Malott strips down the language and amps up the tension as he creates an indelible portrait of the shell shocked and dispossessed.”—BOOKLIST

“Compelling.”—The Wichita Eagle

“A sparely written and stark depiction of three people and a nation confronting the horrors of war…The causes and consequences of a centuries-old conflict (for historical background, Ivo Andric’s novel Bridge on the Drina, is a classic work) are revealed through deft storytelling and main characters that transcend their ethnicities to become real people in all their complexity.”—ALBANY TIMES UNION.COM

"A timely meditation on exile and illness, love and guilt, beautifully written…I look eagerly forward to whatever he writes next."—Scott Phillips, author of The Ice Harvest

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Unbridled Books; 1st edition (October 20, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 253 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1932961844
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1932961843
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.5 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.14 x 0.69 x 8.96 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #7,830,438 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #38,298 in War Fiction (Books)
- #262,950 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- #269,038 in American Literature (Books)

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Steph

adventurous disjointed love story

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 22, 2014

Verified Purchase

I liked the love story but disliked the way it was told. Too many jumps backwards and forwards in time and focus on peripheral characters was confusing for me.

Helpful

Gripping and well crafted - highly recommended!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 1, 2009

Synopsis:

In 1999 Lian Jiang is surprised by a letter from Emil Todorovic in Bosnia-Herzegovina about Gray Banick who disappeared in July 1995. Emil has custody of Gray's remaining possessions and since he had spoken of her and written her over the years, Emil considered her his next-of-kin contact. The news comes as a shock. Though she is now married to an up-and-coming Chinese surgeon, Lian is driven to find Gray. She flies to Bosnia and meets up with two other people whose lives Gray Banick had touched.

Lian Jiang, Emil Todorovic, his interpreter and friend, and Jack MacKenzie, Gray's mentor gather in Sarajevo to find out what happened to Gray. With little information to go on, they retrace Gray's steps in the war ravaged countryside. Each person carries their stories of grief and love.

Review:

Carefully crafted, The Evolution of Shadows, brings us deep into the lives of Lian, Emil, and Jack while gradually hinting who Gray is as a person. Lian came alive through the flashbacks, her internal monologues during the moments of reflection and through what we learn of the man that she married. Emil is probably the most sympathetic character, in part because he is so battered by tragedy and yet continues to push on. Jack gives us a glimpse of the life of an older and veteran journalist whose has spent most of his career covering foreign wars - his combination of emotional isolation, cynicism and sense of hope. I enjoyed Evolution of Shadows, it's an unusual book and draws you in. Also, I thought that Jason Quinn Malot's handled the interracial relationship between Lian and Gray with sensitivity.

Publisher: Unbridled Books (October 20, 2009), 272 pages.
Courtesy of Unbridled Books.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Sheila A. Dechantal

Impressively real - I almost forgot it was fiction

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 20, 2010

This book read with such reality that I admit I went back and checked to make sure it was fiction. Well written, to the point that it felt so real to me, I entered into this emotionally charged book, unprepared for the emotions it would bring out in me.

The Evolution Of Shadows, while surrounding itself with the story of a war, is more about friendships than bombs. Sure there is the taste of war among the pages and you do feel this, but for me the war was within the three people that longed for answers; Lian, Emil, and Jack. Not sure if they are looking for the man Gray, or the remains of Gray, you feel that each of these characters has a longing and a fear of both.

Beautifully titled, these words "evolution of shadows" comes out of a sleepless night in the book. I love how that was weaved into the words.

Breathtaking and hard to put down, I pushed through the pages wanting to know the answers that each was seeking. What did happen to Gray? Would they ever know? What would they find? What if he is alive, how will they all react? What if they find what they fear the most?

For these answers - you will find not from me..... but from this book.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Extraordinary writing

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 7, 2010

An outstanding story and really extraordinary writing- I feel changed this morning, after reading this, as if there is a richness and depth in the world I have not seen lately.I loved the story, the characters, the redemption in the ending.

Thanks for sharing this book- fiction used to have the power to change the world, and this book reminded me it still has that power, if enough care is taken.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

strong war drama

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 7, 2009

In 1995 in Sarajevo, American photographer Gray Banick vanishes. Years later, his former Chinese-American lover Lian Zhao receives a letter from Gray's interpreter Emil Todorovic who worked for the missing photographer asking about him.

Although she married someone more acceptable to her parents, Lian always loved Gray. She leaves Kansas City for Serbia hoping to locate him. In Sarajevo she meets Gray's mentor Jack MacKenzie whose family finally gave up on him when he spent more time in hot spots than at home and Emil. The three begin a quest to learn what happened to Gray.

THE EVOLUTION OF SHADOWS is a strong war drama that makes the case that those who see the horrors of combat even non fighters like reporters need bonds of friendship to emotionally survive; the US Army affirms this premise with buddies being a key element to prevent suicide amidst the troops. Each of the key cast members feel genuine even the missing Gray who is seen mostly though the flashbacks of his compatriots. Jason Quinn Malott provides a powerful character driven tale that avoids turning nostalgic or maudlin.

Harriet Klausner

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Marie L. Smith

Thoughtful, Well-written

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 12, 2009

I thought this book was well-written, with well-developed characters. The writer really thought about the war in Bosnia, and brought his own perspective to the subject. I recommend it highly.

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