Review: The Figure in the Shadows

Book review: The Figure in the Shadows

There were a couple of things which struck me, reading this as an adult, that I didn’t notice as a child. While the point of view hops a few times, I didn’t notice or care when I read this as a child. Now it’s been pounded into my head that POV switches without scene changes are a no-no, but I’m starting to think that this is a current fashion, rather than an inviolate rule. Also, at a certain point Lewis needs to be rescued, and it’s up to Rose Rita, Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmerman to rescue him. Mrs. Zimmerman does most of it, providing the means and the knowledge of where and when they need to go. If I were looking at this critically, with a fresh eye, I might suggest that we have a little more foreshadowing of who and what the figure was. Having Mrs. Zimmerman provide a parlour-room “this is what happened” scene struck me as another one of those writing conventions that people don’t use so much anymore. It’s also a wee bit Deus Ex Machina, that Mrs. Zimmerman both knows where to go, what to do, and has the tools (to give Rose Rita) to solve the problem.

Still, as a child, none of these bothered me. I didn’t need to know where Mrs. Z got the magic nasal spray, only that Rose Rita had to wield it. I guess I loved that the girl rescues the guy, and that the old woman is smarter and more powerful than the old man (and that both of them are pretty much okay with that.) I loved the gothic spookiness of it, and the matter-of-fact way that magic is presented. I also loved that the adults treat the children like people, people with their own problems and strengths and personalities and motives.

And last, but not least, the fact that it was illustrated by Mercer Meyer didn’t hurt anything.

I’m glad that this book didn’t suffer from the Gilligan’s Island syndrome, where something beloved as a child sucks now that you view it with adult eyes. I’m also glad that I’m able to figure out what I liked about it so that I can hopefully replicate some of these elements in my own work.

Kater Cheek
catherinecheek.com