Review: The Man Without a Shadow

The Man Without a Shadow by Joyce Carol Oates
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I would like to give 3.5 stars to this book. I love the science behind the book and the subject of amnesia is fascinating. The author was able to portray the thoughts of the amnesiac in a way that sheds a light on what would happen when someone has a 70 seconds recollection. The writing is superb and the story flows gracefully. The characters are well developed and have interesting lives. Joyce Carol Oates unfortunately lost me when the love story between the scientist and the subject became somewhat unrelenting, obsessive and irrational. I can somewhat understand that a researcher could fall in love with his or her subject, but it almost felt like the story would end up with someone walking up from a bad dream. It did not, and it is overall a good story and a good book to read.

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