The Man Without a Shadow
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 First edition | |
| Author | Joyce Carol Oates |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Ecco Press |
Publication date | 2016 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 284 |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-241609-4 |
The Man Without a Shadow is a novel by Joyce Carol Oates published in 2016 by Ecco Press.
Reception
Calling The Man Without a Shadow "remarkably unusual and haunting," literary critic Eric K. Anderson at Bearing Witness: Joyce Carol Oates Studies writes:
The Man Without a Shadow is a triumphantly successful novel that makes original connections between science's mission to comprehend the elusive mechanics of the mind and the humanities' exploration of the manifestations of love.[3]
New York Times critic Leah Hager Cohen reports that The Man Without a Shadow is "uncomfortable reading" in both its narrative and thematic scope.[4] Acknowledging Oates's audacity in portraying "violence, betrayal and shame, sexual and otherwise," Cohen questions her treatment of these topics: "It's as if this material mesmerizes her so utterly that it impedes the full range of her power to interrogate it..."[5]
Reviewer Jeff Robson at The Independent notes "A moving climax proves that, unlike her protagonists, Oates' talents and perceptions remain unimpaired."[6]
Footnotes
Sources
- Anderson, Eric K. 2016. "Review of Joyce Carol Oates's The Man Without a Shadow," Bearing Witness: Joyce Carol Oates Studies: Vol. 3, Article 1. https://repository.usfca.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1019&context=jcostudies Accessed 25 March 2025.
- Cohen, Leah Hager. 2016. 'The Man Without a Shadow,' by Joyce Carol Oates. New York Times, February 12, 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/14/books/review/the-man-without-a-shadow-by-joyce-carol-oates.html Accessed 24 March 2025.
- Oates, Joyce Carol. 2016. The Man Without a Shadow. Ecco Press, New York. ISBN 978-0-06-241609-4
- Robson, Jeff. 2016. "The Man without a Shadow by Joyce Carol Oates - book review: A melancholy mystery that lives in the memory." The Independent, February 15, 2016.https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-man-without-a-shadow-by-joyce-carol-oates-book-review-a-melancholy-mystery-that-lives-in-the-memory-a6875621.html Accessed 19 March 2025.