Set during Mussolini's 1935 invasion of Ethiopia, The Shadow King takes us back to the first real conflict of World War II, casting light on the women soldiers who were left out of the historical record. At its heart is orphaned maid Hirut, who finds herself tumbling into a new world of thefts and violations, of betrayals and overwhelming rage. What follows is a heartrending and unputdownable exploration of what it means to be a woman at war.
BIO
Maaza Mengiste was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A Fulbright scholar and professor at Queens College, she is the author of Beneath the Lion's Gaze and a 2018 recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. She lives in New York City.
REVIEWS
"Monumental.... Mengiste's extraordinary characters--shrewd Kidane, militant Aster, the enigmatic cook, narcissistic Italian commander Fucelli, conflicted photographer Ettore, elusive prostitute Fifi, even haunted Selassie--epitomize the impossibly intricate ties between humanity and monstrosity, and the unthinkable, immeasurable cost of survival." --Booklist (starred review)
"Capacious.... adopts the register of myth to shape an epic of nationhood and resistance." --The New Yorker
"Stunning.... [Mengiste] produced a work of fiction that is epic in reach, with brilliant borrowings from the forms of classic tragedy.... The book is impossible to put down or put out of mind." --BookPage (starred review)
W. W. Norton & Company / September 01, 2020
1.4" H x 8.1" L x 5.4" W (0.85 lbs) 448 pages