In 1980, Peter Straub (1943-2022) published Shadowland. I didn’t read it until it came out in paperback a year or so later. I read other books by Staub before and since however this is the one I return to every few years.
Shadowland is the story of Tom and Del, two young teenagers who become friends over a mutual love of conjuring and navigating the private school they’re attending. Del, a wealthy orphan, is raised by his less than attentive aunt and uncle while Tom is from a modest middle class household whose father is dying. It is through their pursuit of magic that Tom learns of Del’s uncle Cole, a magician living in Vermont.
“All these illusions are the flashy stuff, and no one will ever see how they work, but I really prefer close-up magic,” Del said. “If you can do close up card work, you can do anything. That’s what my Uncle Cole says.” Dei held up a finger, still in the dramatic persona he had put on with his top hat at the beginning of the tour. “No. Not quite. He said you could do almost everything. He can do things you wouldn’t believe, and he won’t explain them to me. He says certain things are art, not just illusion, and because they’re art they’re real magic. And you can’t explain them.” Del brought his finger down, having caught himself in a public mood at a private moment. “Well, that’s what he says, anyway. It’s like he’s full of secrets and information no one else knows about. He’s kind of funny, and sometimes he can scare the crap out of you, but he’s the best there is. Or I think so, anyway.” His face was that of a dark little dervish.
“Is he a magician?“
“The best. But he doesn’t work like the others in clubs and theaters and that.“
“Then where does he work?“
“At home. He does private shows. Well, they’re not really shows. They’re mainly for himself. It’s hard to explain. Maybe someday you could meet him. Then you’d see.“
As their year progresses, problems plague the school in the form of expulsions, thefts, and strange events. To raise spirits, the headmaster demands an assembly where the jazz club and the magic club perform. In the middle of Tom and Del’s magic show, a fire breaks out and one student is killed. Student suspicions are focused on the school bully but they are only suspicions. The tragedy causes the school year to end early. Del invites Tom to spend the summer with his uncle.
It is here we journey to Shadowland and Straub’s talents as a master of modern horror shine. In Shadowland, nothing is as it seems. Alliances are formed and broken. People aren’t who they say they are or appear to be. The story builds to a climactic conclusion that leaves both boys lives changed forever.
The book is written in third person. The narrator is a former school friend who became a writer and wants to find out what happened that fateful summer. This is one of Straub’s favorite literary devices that he returned to often in his books. The narrator’s interjections are limited to a few points at the beginning and end of the book.
Almost thirty years ago when the Harry Potter series were at their peak, many said that it would be great to have a similar story for adults. For me that book was Shadowland. It’s a wonderful mix of magic, mystery, and horror. It engages me in its world every time I reread it. It may for you too.
