"In The Shadow of Blackbirds" by Cat Winters: A Review

"In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her?" Goodreads.com

"Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time." Goodreads.com

For some reason, I fought reading this book (too many people told me I had to read it). I finally opened it up and a few hours later, I couldn't put it down. Living in San Diego and knowing some of our history is one of the reasons I enjoyed this book. Winters did a wonderful job of describing 1918 San Diego, Coronado, and Balboa Park. The 1918 photographs inserted in the book added a nice touch to the realities of the horrors of the Spanish Flu and WWI.

Another reason why I enjoyed this book is the main character, Mary Shelley Black. This young lady has a scientific mind, she enjoys taking apart and putting house hold items back together. She believes in the science of the world and when unexplainable events begin to happen to her, she doesn't freak out, she goes on a quest to learn about what is happening to her. This is in a time when women were working in the factories but were still not able to vote or think for themselves. Throughout the story, Mary Shelley never lost touch with who she was and what she needed to do.

I recently finished "Illusion" by T. Brown, very similar to "In The Shadow of Blackbirds" with spiritualism, mediums, and searching for lost loved ones. What Brown was lacking, Winters gave the reader. Throughout the book the reader gets a sense of the true horrors that were happening during this time, the war, the flu, the amount of loss of human lives and the desperation of people trying cope with the loss. The sense of desperation added to the plot, creating a wonderful experience for the reader.

Finally, I know I liked a book when I try to find a way to bring it into my English classes. This book would be perfect for 11th grade English. The detail that is given about War World I and daily live in San Diego (1918) was wonderful. I was horrified about the descriptions of life in the trenches, the way soldiers with PTS were treated, and the images of dead bodies laying on the streets waiting to be picked up. This book is a perfect way to bring in American History to the English class.

Go out and get this book. Devour it, share it, and look forward to the next novel by Cat Winters.

Review by Anne Armstrong