Rhiannon Hero's blog

Shadowed Summer

Saundra Mitchell

I had the honor of reading a very early draft of this book and giving my opinion about it at that time. (And I got thanked in the acknowledgments for my input! *preens* No, I didn't read that line in the thank-yous over and over or anything, I swear! Nor did I point it out in the copies that I gave to my mother, sister-in-law, and nephew! For serious! And if you'll buy that....) I read the final, published version, with a brand-spanking-new ending while I was in Mexico, and I loved it for many of the same reasons that I originally did, and some new reasons that I wasn't expecting.

The book is a ghost-mystery, set in Louisiana. The parents in the novel are not much older than yours-truly and that was interesting for me to realize, because the first time I'd read it, I spent so much time identifying with the protagonist, the 14 year old, Iris, that I hadn't realized that her parents would be just a few years older than me. And that realization played a big role in the rest of what I took away from this reading on this go around.

This go around, I became highly invested in what the book doesn't talk about much. Who are Iris's parents? Who was Elijah Landry? What were their lives like before Elijah's death and Katie and Jack got married? How did they all meet? Probably as little kids, but how did it all evolve?

I think a lot about Elijah now and want to know more about him. I'd love to know every single bit of his history, much more than what was eluded to in the novel as it was published. I think that this story told from the point of view of Elijah's ghost would be really interesting to read.

Oh, and in case I've not made this clear -- all of my questions are not to be interpreted as faults that I have with the book, which is exactly what this book should be. It is well-crafted with realistic and sympathetic characters. It is suspenseful, fun, and absolutely a great read. No, my questions are simply because of all the things the book couldn't be and still be what it is -- a really excellent young adult novel and a good example of storytelling and structure.

The first time I read the book, I was struck by how well Saundra captured that in-between feeling of the 13-14 age -- especially for girls. That age when one of your friends is growing up faster than you are, and you're left behind and confused, until you start to grow up, too. She captures that cusp between child and teenager so incredibly well, especially with regard to relationships with female friends.

The long and the short of my current reading, though, is that Elijah Landry might not haunt Iris anymore, but he sure is haunting me. I can't stop thinking about the book. I think that's a good thing.