The Shadows is the second book by Alex North, whose debut The Whisper Man became a quick favorite of mine back in 2019. I had high hopes for this book that takes place in the same world, but that is not a sequel.
In The Shadows we follow main character Paul Adams as he returns home to prepare for his mother’s inevitable death. His return to this familiar place that he’s avoided for so long stirs up memories of when Charlie Crabtree, a peer of his in school, murdered his childhood friend. And it’s not just memories that are being stirred up–Paul soon learns of a long history of copycat killings that have unfolded over the years. This raises the question: where did Charlie go all those years ago? Why wasn’t he found? And why does Paul feel like someone is following him?
This book is loosely based on the Slenderman stabbings in 2014 in Waukesha, Wisconsin–a case that highly interests me, as I spent some time living and working there only a few years after the horrifying event. The premise of the story is really interesting, I really like the examination of lucid dreaming, and there were some good surprises, but overall, this wasn’t as captivating as I’d have thought.
In The Shadows we follow main character Paul Adams as he returns home to prepare for his mother’s inevitable death. His return to this familiar place that he’s avoided for so long stirs up memories of when Charlie Crabtree, a peer of his in school, murdered his childhood friend. And it’s not just memories that are being stirred up–Paul soon learns of a long history of copycat killings that have unfolded over the years. This raises the question: where did Charlie go all those years ago? Why wasn’t he found? And why does Paul feel like someone is following him?
This book is loosely based on the Slenderman stabbings in 2014 in Waukesha, Wisconsin–a case that highly interests me, as I spent some time living and working there only a few years after the horrifying event. The premise of the story is really interesting, I really like the examination of lucid dreaming, and there were some good surprises, but overall, this wasn’t as captivating as I’d have thought.