The Shadow King
Back of the Book
Ethiopia. 1935. With the threat of Mussolini's army looming, recently orphaned Hirut struggles to adapt to her new life as a maid. Her new employer, Kidane, an officer in Emperor Haile Selassie's army, rushes to mobilize his strongest men before the Italians invade. Hirut and the other women long to do more than care for the wounded and bury the dead. When Emperor Haile Selassie goes into exile and Ethiopia quickly loses hope, it is Hirut who offers a plan to maintain morale. She helps disguise a gentle peasant as the emperor and soon becomes his guard, inspiring other women to take up arms. But how could she have predicted her own personal war, still to come, as a prisoner of one of Italy's most vicious officers? The Shadow King is a gorgeously crafted and unputdownable exploration of female power, and what it means to be a woman at war.
We Love It Because
Mengiste’s focus on the female form as it processes the pain and trauma of war presents a unique understanding on what we inherit from the dynamics of war, and what we pass on as a result. With its depictions of the many unspoken and often undocumented violences committed against the female form during wartime, when pretenses of civility disappear and we are meant to consider one another’s humanity, The Shadow King allows us a sustained look at the condition of women in times of massive change.
Memorable Passage
From outside, a fist of sunlight bears through the dusty window of the Addis Ababa train station. It bathes her head in warmth and settles on her feet. A breeze unfurls into the room. Hirut looks up and sees a young woman dressed in ferenj clothes push through the door, clutching a worn suitcase. The city rises behind her. Hirut sees the long dirt road that leads back to the city center. She sees three women balancing bundles of firewood. There, just beyond the roundabout is a procession of priests where once, in 1941, there had been warriors and she, one of them. The flat metal box, the length of her forearm, grows cool on her lap, lies as heavy as a dying body against her stomach. She shifts and traces the edges of the metal, rigid and sharp, rusting with age.
About the Author
Maaza Mengiste is an Ethiopian-American novelist and essayist whose work delves into the complex intersections of history, politics, and the human experience. Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Mengiste's writing is informed by her keen awareness of the historical upheavals her homeland has experienced, including the Ethiopian Revolution. Her acclaimed debut novel, "Beneath the Lion's Gaze," offers a gripping portrayal of the personal and societal turmoil during this tumultuous period. She is also the author of The Shadow King, a novel that explores the role of women in the Ethiopian resistance against Italian occupation during World War II. Mengiste's prose is characterized by its lyrical quality and its ability to illuminate the untold stories of marginalized individuals, particularly women, within the broader historical narrative. Beyond her fiction, Mengiste's essays and advocacy work underscore her commitment to addressing issues of displacement, conflict, and the resilience of human spirit. Maaza Mengiste is worth knowing for her powerful storytelling that unearths hidden histories and amplifies voices often silenced by conventional narratives, contributing significantly to the enrichment of global literature.
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