![]() ![]() ![]() A poetic sensibility shines through Kris’s narration, which is all directed toward Beau (“I want to swallow the moment and keep it in my burning belly, but I have my wrong mouth on-I am wearing the mouth that speaks without thinking”). ![]() Kris, who has grappled for years with shame over her own second shadow, must now navigate her fears about single parenthood and come to terms with her overwhelming grief. This makes the kid a Shadester-a second-class citizen who will be ostracized and surveilled for life, presumed to have behavioral problems by teachers, and overtaxed as an adult. When Kris’s wife, Beau, dies in childbirth, their newborn child, known only as “the kid” until the very end, is immediately given a second shadow by the Department of Balance for causing Beau’s death. A new widow raises her child in a surveillance state where wrongdoers are given an extra shadow for every transgression in Crane’s astonishing and deeply felt debut. ![]()
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