The book of M

Hemu Joshi was the first to lose his shadow, on Zero Shadow Day as it later became known. As he stood in the streets of Mumbai for all to see, the world became fascinated with the shadowless man. Television channels live-streamed him; thousands made the pilgrimage just to be near the unexplainable. Untethered to the world, Joshi became a sign to many that they would all soon transcend to a higher existence. Then he started to forget his family, the days of the week, how to eat everything. When others began to lose their shadows, the curiosity turned into a worldwide epidemic, sparing no one. Cities were shut down and violence broke out as shadowless people attacked the shadowed, and what was known about the world changed as the Forgetting spread. Shepherd's near-future-set first novel flashes between the early days of the epidemic and the current story of Ory and Max, a couple trying to escape it. Eerie, dark, and compelling, this will not disappoint lovers of The Passage (2010) and Station Eleven (2014).--Spanner, Alison Copyright 2018 Booklist

An apocalyptic future in which an epidemic dubbed the Forgetting robs large swaths of the world's population of their shadows and memories-causing them to work dangerous magic-sets the scene for Shepherd's exciting debut. Husband and wife Ory and Max have been holed up in an abandoned hotel outside Arlington, Va., for two years, living hand-to-mouth off beef jerky and scavenged goods, and hiding from the predatory world outside, where the shadowless wreak havoc and misremember the old world into a new one (in one instance, a shadowless forgets what a house looks like; it is rebuilt with its roof on the floor). Then Max's shadow disappears. The couple devises protective rules, and Ory gives Max a tape recorder to document her memories. But when Max escapes, Ory sets out on a terrifying journey to find her. He is beset by enraged shadowless with electric guts; joins a book-collecting, shadowed army; and meets archer Mahnaz, who has a fascinating backstory of her own. Ory and Max separately gather stray rumors of a mythologized figure chasing a cure for shadowlessness in New Orleans, though it's uncertain whether they'll reach the city without dying. Though its characters sometimes slide into tropes, Shepard's debut is graceful and riveting, slowly peeling back layers of an intricately constructed and unsettling alternate future. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

DEBUT The forgetting begins when Hemu Joshi loses his shadow in India. Then a boy in Brazil. Shadows disappear from all of Panama seemingly at once. Scientists attempt to learn about the new condition when they match Hemu with an American man with complete memory loss. The symptoms start small, then it's big things, such as forgetting the names of family members, how to speak, and eventually, oneself. After Boston is ravaged by the phenomenon, Naz finds solace in a newly abandoned building; on their mother's orders, Rojan travels from Tehran to find Naz. Together, the siblings flee. Ory and his wife, Max, have been hiding from the plague in the woods for two years when Max's shadow disappears and she runs away. Ory then ventures into the wilderness to find her. Rumors are written on signs and buildings and circle through traveler groups: "The One Who Gathers" is in New Orleans, bad things happen in DC, and don't go near the water. VERDICT First-time novelist Shepard has crafted an engaging and twisty tale about memory's impact on who or what we become. For aficionados of literary dystopian fiction such as Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven or those who enjoy stories of cross-country travel. [See Prepub Alert, 12/11/17.]-Michelle Gilbert Doshi, Lake Forest Lib., IL © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Hemu Joshi was the first to lose his shadow, on Zero Shadow Day as it later became known. As he stood in the streets of Mumbai for all to see, the world became fascinated with the shadowless man. Television channels live-streamed him; thousands made the pilgrimage just to be near the unexplainable. Untethered to the world, Joshi became a sign to many that they would all soon transcend to a higher existence. Then he started to forget—his family, the days of the week, how to eat—everything. When others began to lose their shadows, the curiosity turned into a worldwide epidemic, sparing no one. Cities were shut down and violence broke out as shadowless people attacked the shadowed, and what was known about the world changed as the Forgetting spread. Shepherd's near-future-set first novel flashes between the early days of the epidemic and the current story of Ory and Max, a couple trying to escape it. Eerie, dark, and compelling, this will not disappoint lovers of The Passage (2010) and Station Eleven (2014). Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews.

In a scary new world where losing one's shadow presages a complete loss of memory, Max runs from husband Ory when her shadow fades, afraid to bring him grief. Big debut: a 50,000-copy first printing.

The forgetting begins when Hemu Joshi loses his shadow in India. Then a boy in Brazil. Shadows disappear from all of Panama seemingly at once. Scientists attempt to learn about the new condition when they match Hemu with an American man with complete memory loss. The symptoms start small, then it's big things, such as forgetting the names of family members, how to speak, and eventually, oneself. After Boston is ravaged by the phenomenon, Naz finds solace in a newly abandoned building; on their mother's orders, Rojan travels from Tehran to find Naz. Together, the siblings flee. Ory and his wife, Max, have been hiding from the plague in the woods for two years when Max's shadow disappears and she runs away. Ory then ventures into the wilderness to find her. Rumors are written on signs and buildings and circle through traveler groups: "The One Who Gathers" is in New Orleans, bad things happen in DC, and don't go near the water. VERDICT First-time novelist Shepard has crafted an engaging and twisty tale about memory's impact on who or what we become. For aficionados of literary dystopian fiction such as Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven or those who enjoy stories of cross-country travel. [See Prepub Alert, 12/11/17.]—Michelle Gilbert Doshi, Lake Forest Lib., IL

An apocalyptic future in which an epidemic dubbed the Forgetting robs large swaths of the world's population of their shadows and memories—causing them to work dangerous magic—sets the scene for Shepherd's exciting debut. Husband and wife Ory and Max have been holed up in an abandoned hotel outside Arlington, Va., for two years, living hand-to-mouth off beef jerky and scavenged goods, and hiding from the predatory world outside, where the shadowless wreak havoc and misremember the old world into a new one (in one instance, a shadowless forgets what a house looks like; it is rebuilt with its roof on the floor). Then Max's shadow disappears. The couple devises protective rules, and Ory gives Max a tape recorder to document her memories. But when Max escapes, Ory sets out on a terrifying journey to find her. He is beset by enraged shadowless with electric guts; joins a book-collecting, shadowed army; and meets archer Mahnaz, who has a fascinating backstory of her own. Ory and Max separately gather stray rumors of a mythologized figure chasing a cure for shadowlessness in New Orleans, though it's uncertain whether they'll reach the city without dying. Though its characters sometimes slide into tropes, Shepard's debut is graceful and riveting, slowly peeling back layers of an intricately constructed and unsettling alternate future. (June)