SHADOW LIFE

In this novel, a man learns the story of his heritage following a stressful murder trial.

Matthew Rice is in a Toronto court, the foreman of a murder trial jury. Against all his personal beliefs, Matthew tells the judge that the jury could not reach a verdict, which results in a mistrial. This decision goes on to haunt Matthew. The fact that the defendant, Henry Dawson, is cleared of the charges of murdering a child settles over Matthew like a suffocating blanket, particularly when another kid is killed two weeks later. Needing help with his mental health, Matthew begins seeing a psychiatrist. Then, after losing his wallet, he tries to attain a copy of his birth certificate only to learn that the record of his birth in Canada is messier than he realized. Upon learning that the woman who raised him did not give birth to him, Matthew begins a journey of self-discovery as he travels to Australia to learn about his biological mother. Later, he flies to Ireland to discover more about his heritage and acquire his birth mother’s diary. Decter’s smoothly written story is a bit all over the place. Initially, it appears to be the tale of a man who is fed up with the sociopolitical climate of Canada: “The tectonic plates of his beliefs and Toronto’s civic realities ground against each other.” Matthew is also doomsday-oriented, hoarding propane tanks and liquor for when the country disintegrates. The author seems to be gearing up to make his protagonist’s distress regarding the mistrial a striking example of a broken judicial system, fueling Matthew’s disdain. But then the story rapidly shifts its focus to Matthew’s upbringing and his birth mother, which are compelling elements. Unfortunately, readers will feel as if the book morphed into a different novel when they weren’t looking. Additionally, there are a lot of passages that concentrate on Matthew driving his boat—which are intriguing but puzzling.

A family tale with engaging prose but an undisciplined plot.