A girl tries to free herself from the terrifying double shadow of her childhood and forge her own future, but she is trapped in a memory machine created by her father.
Arnold Ruben has created a memory machine, a utopia housed in a picture palace, where the happiest memories replay forever, a haven in which he and his precious daughter can shelter from the war-clouds gathering over 1937 Britain. But on the day of her seventeenth birthday Amaryllis leaves Warlock Hall and the world she has known and wakes to find herself in a desolate and disturbing place. Something has gone terribly wrong with her father's plan.
Against the tense backdrop of the second World War Sally Gardner explores families and what binds them, fathers and daughters, past histories, passions and cruelty, love and devastation in a novel rich in character and beautifully crafted.
Sally Gardner's astonishing new novel for older teenagers THE DOUBLE SHADOW is intriguing, shocking and very funny. Gardner creates a cast of wonderful characters in rich, inventive and evocative proseWhat a mysterious and haunting book THE DOUBLE SHADOW by Sally Gardner proved to be, despite being strangely unsettling this is a book rich in atmosphere and detailTHE DOUBLE SHADOW is a brilliant, complex story of family bonds, love, cruelty, friendship and devastation - and of history and warThis beautifully written tale of family, history and memories set against the menacing backdrop of the Second World WarSally Gardner has a wondrous, almost wizardly way with words, using simple prose infused with a touch of magic. Her characters are so vividly present... the result is a very special novelWith a cast of glamourous, and warm-hearted characters this is a fast paced adventure, set during the Second World War, about a girl and a boy, and a memory machine that could alter time forever.Gardner offers us a gripping psychological/family portrait combined with a science-fiction thriller that is outstanding.This is a mysterious, haunting and unusual book that is difficult to put into any category. The most accurate category would probably be sci-fi-historical-surreal-poetic-dreamworld-love-story. The idea of editing your memories is fascinating, but what really makes the story compelling is the individual drama.This is a fantastic adventure, and you just can't work out quite how it will develop. It's got lots of sinister people and happenings, but also beautiful and fascinating and thought provoking ones. And I do love the setting! WWII is rarely portrayed as glamourous, and I know it wasn't really, but this still works for me. Romance, bravery and a little time travel. And let's not forget love. Love's important.Sally Gardner has again succeeded in raising her goalposts in this totally original novel which is very different to the usual YA fare, and again proves my strong belief that the best novels for younger audiences can have just as good writing as those for grown-ups and also be satisfying reads for adults too. Thank you Sally! (10/10)beautifully written and absorbingly cleverSally Gardner's new novel The Double Shadow - one for older teenagers and adults this time - is an ingeniously complex story set before and during the Second World War. It concerns memories and identity, how the past makes the future, and with its elements of science fiction and influences as various as Eliot's The Waste Land and the film Sunset Boulevard, it is a dark book but a beautifully, richly imagined one...Original and atmospheric, chilling and thoroughly engrossing, this is another terrific read from a versatile author who is extraordinarily imaginative and technically skilled in equal measure.In an era when novels by Mann Booker winners are expected to 'zip along', thank goodness young adult authors such as Gardner aren't so lacking in ambition. Her fourth novel, set in 1937 is dramatic and daring... Memories - their capture, alteration and destruction - form the core of this tale. A paranormal teen romance with rare philosophical depth.Sally Gardner writes beautifully. I was in awe of her use of metaphors and similes. You can tell that Sally used to be an illustrator, because when she writes, she not only tells a story, she paints a picture with words. She is so descriptive you not only see the landscape, you step into it... The book is breathtaking and original. One that will become a comfort read of the future, a true literary treasure to be enjoyed again and again.What's so amazing about 'The Double Shadow' is the absolute uniqueness and originality of the story, which has sprung from an imagination that I'm seriously envious of. It's totally different from anything else I've read that it really stands out from any other offering currently gracing the shelves in bookshops...I'm in awe of Gardner's storytelling skills and envious of anyone getting to read this book for the very first time. It's an experience you won't forget!An unusual and constantly challenging story.... one of those books that will be remembered by the reader for a lifetime.At times the writing is so good, so visceral that you can feel the green fog of captured memories seeping out from the pages and suffocating you.Strongly influenced by TS Eliot's The Waste Land, and by the early years of Hollywood movies, this outstanding novel plunges us deep into the nature of sanity and the power of love and truth to heal profound psychological wounds. The writing is thrillingly vivid, dramatic and makes for a serious treat which keeps readers on the edge of their seats all the way to the end.
The Double Shadow is a book about loss and damage, identity and illusion, cruelty and, ultimately healing. It's an astonishing departure for a writer who has found a new and very distinctive voice. I can't wait to see what she will do next.A powerful blend of timeslip fantasy, science fiction and coming of age novel, its central theme is memory and the part it plays in constructing who we are.Sally Gardner has achieved yet another masterpiece, crafting an amazing story world on paper.At once a thriller, love story, and an exploration of memory and forgetting... I thought it extraordinary - one of those rare novels published for young readers where we are admitted to a second world charged with its writer's exceptional intelligence of both mind and emotion.a complex story with constantly changing plots. Some emotionally challenging, but, when all the connections are made, the reader is taken on an exciting, and fulfilling, journey.Sally Gardner is an award-winning novelist from London. Her books have been translated into 22 languages and have sold more than one million copies in the UK. Her historical novel for older readers, I, Coriander, won the Smarties Children's Book Prize in 2005. Two thrillers both set at the time of the French Revolution, The Red Necklace and The Silver Blade, which was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 2009, followed. Actor Dominic West (The Wire) has bought the film rights to both titles. Her YA novel, The Double Shadow, was published in 2011 to critical acclaim. Sally Gardner's stories for middle readers include Lucy Willow and the popular Magical Children series of six titles The Strongest Girl in the World, The Invisible Boy, The Boy with Magic Numbers, The Smallest Girl in the World, The Boy with the Lightning Feet, and The Boy who could Fly, which are also available as audio books. She has also written and illustrated picture books including The Fairy Catalogue, The Glass Heart, The book of Princesses and Playtime Rhymes. Sally Gardner continues to be an avid spokesperson for Dyslexia, working to change the way it is perceived by society. She is dyslexic and argues that it's not a disability, but a gift.A beautifully crafted and moving novel from a high-profile author, THE DOUBLE SHADOW will linger long in the memory.Total Sally Gardner sales exceed 1.3 million copies and Sally's older fiction is now published in 21 territories.I, CORIANDER won the NESTLE CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE GOLD AWARD (2005) and sold over 170,000 copies.Sally's older fiction is frequently shortlisted and longlisted for awards, including the CILIP CARNEGIE CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD (THE RED NECKLACE), THE GUARDIAN BOOK PRIZE (THE SILVER BLADE) and the BOOKTRUST TEENAGE PRIZE (THE RED NECKLACE).