In the Shadows of the Sun

“This is a startlingly good novel. Alexander Parsons is a hugely talented writer and unlike anyone else of his generation.”
– Robert Boswell, author of Century’s Son

In his poignant novel, award-winning writer Alexander Parsons has captured the brutality of war, both on the front lines and at home. Set in the high desert badlands of New Mexico and the ravaged, war-torn landscape of the Philippine jungle, In the Shadows of the Sun is the story of the Stricklands, a ranching family struggling to hold on to their way of life in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. After seeing their son, Jack, leave to fight in the war, they are confronted with an eviction notice from the United States government, which is expanding a bombing and gunnery range to include their land and home. As they fight to preserve their ranch, an illicit affair and murder threaten to rip the family apart.

A world away, Jack is caught in the Pacific Theater of War, where the Allies have suffered devastating loss and defeat. He endures the horrors of the Bataan Death March and Japanese prison camps, hoping to survive long enough to make it home.

In the Shadows of the Sun vividly illustrates America’s journey through the war and post-war period, a passage lit by the fierce glare of the atomic bomb. At once a stunning portrait of the desolate beauty of the southwest and a harrowing and poetic lament about the very personal tragedy of war, this unforgettable novel delves into the nature of family, sacrifice, and that which binds us together in the face of unforgiving circumstances and tragedy.

ALEXANDER PARSONS earned degrees from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and New Mexico State University. His first novel, Leaving Disneyland, won the 2001 Associated Writing Programs Award for the Novel and was a finalist for the 2001 PEN West Award. He has received a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, a Texas Fellowship in Literature, and a Chesterfield Screenwriting Fellowship. He teaches fiction writing at the University of New Hampshire. He can be contacted at www.alexanderparsons.com.