Chasing Shadows - Hardcover

Avasthi, Swati

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0375863427 ISBN 13: 9780375863424

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2013

Synopsis

“A superb novel about grief, friendship, and mental illness, mixing in graphic-novel elements and themes from Hindu mythology.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred
 
Corey, Holly, and Savitri are closer than family until a random act of violence shatters their world. A gunman shoots at their car, leaving Corey dead, Holly in a coma, and Savitri the sole witness to the crime.
 
When Holly wakes up, she is changed—determined to hunt down Corey’s killer, whatever the cost. Savitri fears that Holly is running wild, losing her grip on reality. Friends should stand by each other in times of crisis. But can you hold on too tight? Too long?
 
Swati Avasthi delivers a riveting novel that will appeal to fans of Laini Taylor and Laurie Halse Anderson.
 
“Haunting, mesmerizing and intense.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred
 
“[A] visceral story of love, grief, and madness that is both action-packed and psychologically acute.” —The Horn Book

About this title

About the Author

SWATI AVASTHI is the author of the highly acclaimed novel Split, winner of the IRA Book Award and the Cybils Award. Ms. Avasthi received her MFA from the University of Minnesota and currently teaches in Hamline University’s MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two children. Visit her at swatiavasthi.com.
 
CRAIG PHILLIPS is an award-winning illustrator whose work has appeared on book jackets, in publications like Rolling Stone, and on tour posters for bands, including the Foo Fighters and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He lives in New Zealand with his family.

Reviews

Avasthi pulls a dramatic 180 from her gritty debut, Split (2010), with this hyperstylized, graphic-novel-infused superhero-origin story—though even that doesn’t suffice for this genre-bender. Seventeen-year-old twins Holly and Corey, along with Savitri—Holly’s best friend and Corey’s girlfriend—are a team of skilled “freerunners” who use the Chicago cityscape as their own improvised acrobatics course. It’s not this dangerous hobby that kills Corey, though; it’s an apparently random shooting. Devastated, Holly begins to conflate one of Savitri’s comic-­book characters, the Leopardess, with her own obsession to find Corey’s killer. Is Holly the Leopardess reborn? And is the “Lunatic Voice” telling her that she can save Corey from the so-called Shadowlands madness? The continual stylistic grace notes in the dual point-of-view voices often prevent a smooth narrative flow. But Phillips’ graphic interludes make for visceral thrills when words, or reality, fail the characters, adding further interest to this rare avenger story that takes mental illness seriously. It’s a lot to mesh, and it doesn’t always work, but it’s undoubtedly bold and unique. Avasthi continues to impress. Grades 9-12. --Daniel Kraus

Edition details

• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0375863427
• ISBN 13: 9780375863424
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Phillips Craig
• Number of pages: 320