Out of Shadows

Out of Shadows is a 2010 children's historical novel by Jason Wallace, published by Andersen Press on 28 January 2010. Set in 1980s Zimbabwe, the story follows white teenager Robert Jacklin at a prestigious boarding school as he confronts bullying, anti-black racism, his own morality as well as the political instability of the time. His debut novel, it is partly inspired by Wallace's own experiences attending a boarding school in Zimbabwe after the civil war. The novel was rejected by publishers one hundred times before being published by Andersen Press. The novel received favourable reviews and won the 2010 Costa Book Award for Children's Book, the 2011 Branford Boase Award and the 2011 UKLA Book Award. It was also shortlisted for the 2010 Booktrust Teenage Prize and the 2011 Carnegie Medal.

Out of Shadows
AuthorJason Wallace
Audio read byBen Onwukwe[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenreHistorical fiction
Set inZimbabwe in the 1980s
PublisherAndersen Press
Publication date
28 January 2010[2]
Media typePrint (paperback), e-book, audiobook
Pages288[2]
Awards2010 Costa Book Award
2011 Branford Boase Award
2011 UKLA Book Award
ISBN978-1-84939-048-4
OCLC768655861
[Fic]
LC ClassPZ7.W15655 Out 2010

Background

Out of Shadows took one year and six months to complete. Wallace himself attended a boarding school in Zimbabwe not too long after the Rhodesian Bush War/Zimbabwean War of Liberation ended.[3] While a student there, he wanted to write a story of what he had seen and experienced. The political atmosphere in Zimbabwe was declining and unstable, and inspired Wallace to begin writing fictional stories of his encounters. Though the characters in Out of Shadows are not real, they served to demonstrate the attitudes or personalities "a very few people" were portraying. Wallace notes that he "came up with the idea of "What if...?"[3] and took it from there" when he was writing the novel. There may be many similar aspects of the novel's story may share with Wallace's real life but they are general details and are not very specific.

Synopsis

In 1983, thirteen-year-old Robert Jacklin arrives from England at Haven School, an elite boys' boarding school in Zimbabwe. He is the son of a British intellectual attached to the British Embassy. Robert befriends Nelson Ndube, one of the few black pupils at the school, but eventually turns to the white elite of the school instead in an effort to find safety and acceptances. Many of the white students, particularly Ivan Hascott, are racist bullies who are still angered that the country's white minority lost power to the its black majority after the recent civil war. Robert wrestles with his conscience while becoming drawn into their ideology and practices. Ivan's family has suffered during Robert Mugabe's rise to power, and Ivan pressures Robert into joining his quest for revenge on black Africans. Robert becomes disturbed by Ivan's increasingly violent behavior.

Publication

Out of Shadows was rejected by one hundred literary agents and publishers before being picked up by Andersen Press.[4][5][6]

Out of Shadows was first published in paperback format in the United Kingdom by Andersen Press on 28 January 2010.[2]

Reception

In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews called the novel a "first-rate, surprisingly believable thriller" and praised Wallace's "mastery" in portraying race relations in post-war Zimbabwe.[7]

Publishers Weekly gave the novel a favourable review, writing, "Racial conflict, corruption, and the cycle of abuse are conveyed with authenticity in this uncomfortable, unvarnished story."[8]

In her review for The Times, writer Amanda Craig praised the novel as "something that schools should study and readers read."[9]

In his review for The Guardian, author Patrick Ness criticized the novel for its "often unsubtle and occasionally unconvincing" plot as well as the "full psychology" of Robert's journey into and out of Ivan's racist crusade for not being "as nuanced as it really needs to be". Ness, however, nonetheless called the novel "a powerful, devastating read".[10]

Writing in the Independent on Sunday, Nicholas Tucker called it an "excellent" novel.[11]

Booktrust called it an "expert and disturbing examination of the meaning of morality and of the comprehensive and complex legacy of conflict and injustice."[12]

Emma Lee-Potter of the Daily Express compared it to Lord of the Flies and wrote that it "could well become a children's classic."[13]

Awards

Publication history
  • Out of Shadows. London: Andersen Press. 28 January 2010. ISBN 978-1-84939-048-4.[2]
  • Out of Shadows. New York: Holiday House. April 2011. ISBN 978-0-8234-2342-2.[8]
  • Fora das Sombras (in Portuguese). Translated by Slade, Marina. Brazil: Bertrand Brasil. 2012. ISBN 978-85-286-1566-1.[21][22]
  • Gölgelerden Uzakta (in Turkish). Translated by Çulhaöz, Tonguç. Turkey: Tudem Yayınları. 2012. ISBN 978-9944-69-654-8.[23]
  • Entre las sombras (in Spanish). Mexico: Ediciones Castillo. 2014. ISBN 978-607-621-025-3.[24]

References
  1. "Out of Shadows Audiobook". Audible.co.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  2. "Out of Shadows". Penguin Books UK. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  3. Jason Wallace Website Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  4. "Writer rejected 100 times wins top children's award". The Scotsman. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  5. Akbar, Arifa (5 January 2011). "Writer who was rejected 100 times is finally rewarded". The Independent. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  6. "Rejected 100 times now author wins Costa award". The Times. 5 January 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  7. "Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace". Kirkus Reviews. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  8. "Children's Book Review: Out Of Shadows by Jason Wallace". Publishers Weekly. 13 June 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  9. Craig, Amanda (22 January 2011). "Out of the Shadows (13+) by Jason Wallace". The Times. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  10. Ness, Patrick (14 January 2011). "Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  11. Tucker, Nicholas (4 April 2010). "Easter parade: A round-up of new books perfect for holiday reading". Independent on Sunday. The Independent. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  12. "Out of Shadows". BookTrust. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  13. Lee-Potter, Emma (21 January 2011). "Five winners fighting to land the top Costa Book of the Year prize". Daily Express. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  14. Noah, Sherna (4 January 2011). "Debut writer Jason Wallace wins Costa book award for Robert Mugabe novel". The Independent. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  15. Brown, Mark (4 January 2011). "Edmund de Waal leads Costa book awards finalists". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  16. "Costa Book Awards 2010: the winning books". The Daily Telegraph. 5 January 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  17. Horn, Caroline (7 July 2011). "Jason Wallace wins Branford Boase". The Bookseller. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  18. "UKLA Book Award 2011 Winners". United Kingdom Literacy Association. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  19. "Unhooking the Moon wins Booktrust Teenage Prize". Foyles. 2 November 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  20. Pauli, Michelle (23 June 2011). "Patrick Ness accepts Carnegie medal with fierce defence of libraries". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  21. "Fora das sombras". Grupo Editorial Record. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  22. "FORA DAS SOMBRAS - 1ªED.(2012) - Jason Wallace". Livraria da Travessa. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  23. "Gölgelerden Uzakta". Tudem Yayın Grubu. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  24. "Entre Las Sombras - Wallace [hgo]". MercadoLibre. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
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