Book Review: Shadows Unveiled

Shadows Unveiled. Amanda Berthault, EdenEcho Publishing, August 10, 2021, Electronic and Print, 229 pages.

Review by Lisa Lickel.

Shanley, a mysterious pool hustler, arrives in Kansas with little more than a truck to live in, dwindling cash in his pocket, and a need to earn money yet stay on the move. The drama escalates when a young girl, obviously alone and defenseless, comes to town wearing a t-shirt that means trouble to Shanley.

This contemporary action-adventure opens with a noir feeling as Shanley’s favored costume is a black fedora and sunglasses worn at all times. As we peel back the layers of secrets, we’re drawn into a life on the run. Shanley and Macy are engaging people, lovingly illustrated, and wholly engaging. Who couldn’t cheer them on as Shanley reluctantly agrees to help young Macy travel across the country? Their innocent adventure turns harrowing as they encounter the underside of humanity.

Shanley and Macy come from deeply flawed backgrounds and fight for survival after emotional and physical abuse. Shadows Unveiled shows the reader through narrow points of view and flashbacks. We are shown how they learn to make the best of themselves to work together to accomplish a common goal and face the consequences of their actions. 

Ultimately a story of survival and friendship, Berthault, a native Chicagoan with a passion for music, offers a novel that will start serious conversations about how we listen to each other and care about ourselves and our friends. I appreciated the reality of hearing how it sounds when I think I’m offering helpful advice. Plumbing the depth of someone else’s pain, letting them speak their story, and not pushing them deeper into an inability to cope by sharing platitudes and bare shoulders isn’t true support. Shanley can turn his experience around and do something that helps teenage Macy, whose outside life seems idyllic, as much as his own is obviously dysfunctional. Maybe Heavy Metal Fiction will become a shelf label.

I was intrigued by the way Berthault’s characters were so deeply affected by the music and lyrics in different ways. Shadows Unveiled is the first book in a planned trilogy, and I look forward to reading more.