The Shadow Year is a 2008 novel by Jeffrey Ford.

Background

The novel is an expansion of the novella "Botch Town",^[1] which was published in his 2006 short story collection The Empire of Ice Cream.^[2] The novella was nominated for the World Fantasy Award—Novella and the Locus Award for Best Novella in 2006.^[3]

In an interview with Locus, Ford said that the concept behind the novel was based on events from his life, and "was really kind of a memoir" before his editor encouraged him to rewrite the novel and "make it a story."^[1] The model town built by the protagonists in their basement is based on a train set that Ford and his brother played with during their childhood.^[4]

Synopsis

Three children, two boys, and a girl live in a quiet Long Island town with their alcoholic mother and hardworking father in the 1960s. The boys build Botch Town, a tiny model of their hometown in the basement. One summer, a prowler begins terrorizing their neighborhood during a string of mysterious events such as disappearances and deaths. As the brothers follow their suspicions about the killer's identity, they realize that their younger sister, a savant, has been moving around figures in their model to act out events before they happen in the future.

Genre and writing style

The novel includes elements from a number of genres, including mystery,^[5] science fiction and fantasy.^[6] Mark Yon, in SFFWorld, compared it to the genre-bending work of Ray Bradbury, particularly Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes.^[7] Several reviewers compared The Shadow Year's tone and humor to Stephen King's Stand by Me.^[7][6]

Reception

The book garnered a mixed to positive reception from critics. Michael Levy, in a review for Strange Horizons, praised the novel but acknowledged that its ambiguity and open ended mysteries might alienate some readers.^[5] Kirkus Reviews gave the book a starred review and calling it "Properly creepy, but from time to time deliciously funny and heart-breakingly poignant."^[8]

Publishers Weekly described it as "disappointing", criticizing the novel's numerous subplots and lack of momentum.^[9]

It won the 2009 Shirley Jackson Award for Novel,^[10] and the World Fantasy Award—Novel.^[11] It was a finalist for the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel.^[12]

References