There is a lot of potential for In the Shadows of the Sun to be a great book. There are two narrative threads, unfortunately, which stay very separate and once they do join together they don't seem to really entwine.
The book begins with Jack's story. Jack is fighting in the Pacific theater and through his eyes is narrated the Bataan Death March, which he survives. The second narrative thread is the story of Jack's family in New Mexico. They are having their own interpersonal troubles. Additionally, the government appropriates their ranch land as a bombing range. Jack's family is misinformed that he has died, but then when he resurfaces he is welcomed home.
The problem with this book is that these two experiences the book describes never meld together. Only 35 pages of the 238 page book take place after Jack has returned to New Mexico. There is very little narration by Jack or resolution to the story. There is no integration between the brutality which Jack experienced and the changes that have occurred back home. Each story is interesting independently, but together they don't work. Perhaps there is no resolution that Parsons could see for Jack to reintegrate or continue in the civilian world.
The book begins with Jack's story. Jack is fighting in the Pacific theater and through his eyes is narrated the Bataan Death March, which he survives. The second narrative thread is the story of Jack's family in New Mexico. They are having their own interpersonal troubles. Additionally, the government appropriates their ranch land as a bombing range. Jack's family is misinformed that he has died, but then when he resurfaces he is welcomed home.
The problem with this book is that these two experiences the book describes never meld together. Only 35 pages of the 238 page book take place after Jack has returned to New Mexico. There is very little narration by Jack or resolution to the story. There is no integration between the brutality which Jack experienced and the changes that have occurred back home. Each story is interesting independently, but together they don't work. Perhaps there is no resolution that Parsons could see for Jack to reintegrate or continue in the civilian world.
No comments:
Post a Comment