Where Shadows Linger: Courageous Lesbians Immigrate to Australia Post WWII

The first book I read by Mary D. Brooks was Awakenings, the fourth volume in the Intertwined Souls series, which I reviewed on this blog here. The reason why I went back to the second book afterward is because I read spoilers in Awakenings that revealed the entire plot of the first novel in the series, Blood of the Greeks.  This is one of the perils of reading out of order in a series.   Where Shadows Linger takes place in Australia.  The Sydney Harbour Bridge illustration on the cover is a nice reminder of the book’s location.  Awakenings didn’t really deal with the lives of the protagonists in Australia.  I also had never read a book set in post-WWII Australia, so I thought I would learn about the historical context from this novel.  I received Where Shadows Linger for free in return for this honest review.  I also reviewed this book for The Bookplex.

                                             

                                             

Both Eva and Zoe encountered prejudice in Australia.  It is a sad paradox that nations which have a policy of welcoming immigrants often have tendencies toward ethnocentrism.   I admired Zoe’s insistence that Eva deserved better work conditions and employment, and Eva’s determination that Zoe shouldn’t ever abandon her dreams.   These women are always standard bearers for the ideal of true love.

When Eva’s past in Nazi Germany catches up with her in Australia, Zoe is loyal, courageous and protective.  This series is definitely for readers who want to see lesbian lovers being heroic, and triumphing over adversity.

My favorite part of this book was the association of some of the characters with motorcycles.  I’ve always enjoyed the sight of female motorcycle riders, but the image of Father Haralambos, a Greek Orthodox priest, on a motorcycle is also entertaining because it seems so unlikely.

Unfortunately, this book did have a noticeable flaw.   There were no typographical errors, but I found some continuity errors.  Most of them were minor.   A continuity error happens when the writer doesn’t keep track of what she has already written or what she hasn’t written yet.   An example of the second type of continuity error happens at 19% in the Kindle edition when the cat Ourania is mysteriously mentioned before Zoe’s first encounter with her at 23%.  There were more serious violations of continuity in an action scene involving numerous characters in which the author repeatedly loses track of where the characters are in relation to each other. Admittedly, it’s tricky to visualize a scene that is so complex, but I have to say that the narration of that entire sequence is contradictory and confusing. 

 I also noticed a scientific improbability in the same action scene.  A heavy projectile has increased gravitational pull when it’s hurled.  This means that it will land with a great deal of force and would be likely to cause damage.  You can’t just casually throw it across a room.

Mary D. Brooks is an author who deals with compelling characters and themes, but When Shadows Linger needed the sort of editor who pays attention to details.  Continuity should be a special concern because readers who are confused may give up on a book or an entire series.