Book: “Shadowed” (2011)
Author: Bill Gauthier
Reviewer: Gabino Iglesias
My Rating: 6 out of 10

To say that “Shadowed” is a horror novel is misleading. The book is divided into three parts: the first one is a ghostly horror story, the second one is a freaky paranormal romance filled with tension and the third reads like a psychological thriller that’s packed with enough desperation, anger and sadness to keep anyone satisfied.

The books starts with Gina Copeland in her room, catching a shadowy movement in the periphery of her vision. The shadow keeps coming back and the experience repeats itself so many times that Gina is unable to ignore it and all her rationalizations come crashing down. This first third of the book is a great, spooky story. Gauthier’s writing is tight and his attention to detail give the narrative an authenticity that’s hard to ignore. Likewise, instead of concentrating only on the shadow figure and Gina’s fear, the author throws in Gina’s problems at home, her mother’s attitude towards her father after the divorce and the evolving situation that Gina has to face at school. These details, sprinkled throughout the story along with Internet searches, text messages and typical high school occurrences give “Shadowed” depth and draw the reader into a story that seems too normal not to be real.

Once Gina has done all her research and decides to face her fears, “Shadowed” suddenly turns into a paranormal romance. Gina, a girl that gets made fun of at school and who’s had only one sexual partner in her life, abruptly finds herself in the arms of a very capable lover that comes to visit her once in a while. The phantasmagorical lovemaking aside, the shadow figure’s presence alters Gina’s life and her outlook on things. Although the change is reluctantly welcomed by Gina and not caring anymore about the usual situations that normally bother her feels like a good adjustment, things soon take an unexpected turn.

In the last third of the book, Gina learns she’s pregnant with the shadow figure’s baby. As if having the child of a non-entity was not enough, Gina also learns that her contact with the figure has somehow started to turn her into a shadow figure. Her despair is almost palpable thanks to Gauthier’s prose and the way Gina slowly fades from this world and enters her new existence makes for an interesting read.

By the time the inevitable end comes, the reader is ready to accept the fact that “Shadowed,” besides being those three things I already mentioned, is also a book about the things we humans will do to escape our loneliness and, ultimately, a tome that proves once again that for every action that we take there are always consequences. If you’re in the mood for a cool read that mashes together a few genres, pick up a copy of “Shadowed” and try to ignore that movement you see once in a while out of the corner of your eye.