A review by patchworkbunny
The Double Shadow, by Sally Gardner
3.0
Memories make us who we are, good and bad. Should we be able to pick and choose and will bad memories always be stronger than the good?
There are lots of excellent ideas and some beautiful writing in The Double Shadow however I felt I had to struggle through the first half to get there. At the start Amaryllis is portrayed as selfish and cruel, a thoroughly unlikable privileged young girl, though with enough hints to say this isn’t how she is deep down. She is raped, her memory wrapping round the event with its own version. She isn’t given sympathy and so her contempt is justified but it is misdirected.
The story is fairly linear apart from the first chapter, which introduces a scene from much later on. I was pretty confused for a while as to the timeline, not quite grasping Amaryllis’ memory loss to be from much earlier on. Her memory disappeared, whether on purpose or through illness, to mask a childhood trauma, that much is clear. That she is then raped, made me connect that act to her memory loss, which just left me trying to pick up strands that weren’t there.
However, roll in the memory machine and things pick up. Things make more sense and the pace speeds up. I loved the idea of the picture palace containing a world built on happy memories, and the resulting environment, of course, not living up to expectations. I would have liked more of the book spent on the memory machine and not the longwinded build up. Her circumstances are important, but they could have been introduced more through her memories.
Whilst it’s set against the backdrop of war, it’s not a war story. Yes, it touches on how memories of war can ruin minds and the threat of the memory machine as a weapon. The military offers new opportunities for young men like Ezra. However, Amaryllis stays untouched by the war, she has her own horror to contend with. It is a reminder that people still continue to live their own stories during war time, even if they have to constant reminder of impending disaster on their doorstep.
There are lots of excellent ideas and some beautiful writing in The Double Shadow however I felt I had to struggle through the first half to get there. At the start Amaryllis is portrayed as selfish and cruel, a thoroughly unlikable privileged young girl, though with enough hints to say this isn’t how she is deep down. She is raped, her memory wrapping round the event with its own version. She isn’t given sympathy and so her contempt is justified but it is misdirected.
The story is fairly linear apart from the first chapter, which introduces a scene from much later on. I was pretty confused for a while as to the timeline, not quite grasping Amaryllis’ memory loss to be from much earlier on. Her memory disappeared, whether on purpose or through illness, to mask a childhood trauma, that much is clear. That she is then raped, made me connect that act to her memory loss, which just left me trying to pick up strands that weren’t there.
However, roll in the memory machine and things pick up. Things make more sense and the pace speeds up. I loved the idea of the picture palace containing a world built on happy memories, and the resulting environment, of course, not living up to expectations. I would have liked more of the book spent on the memory machine and not the longwinded build up. Her circumstances are important, but they could have been introduced more through her memories.
Whilst it’s set against the backdrop of war, it’s not a war story. Yes, it touches on how memories of war can ruin minds and the threat of the memory machine as a weapon. The military offers new opportunities for young men like Ezra. However, Amaryllis stays untouched by the war, she has her own horror to contend with. It is a reminder that people still continue to live their own stories during war time, even if they have to constant reminder of impending disaster on their doorstep.