Out of Shadows
Binding: Paperback
Imprint: Andersen Press
Age 12+
Personal & Social Issues: Bullying, Violence & Abuse General Fiction
'If I stood you in front of a man, pressed a gun into your palm and told you to squeeze the trigger, would you do it?'
'No, sir, no way!'
'What if I then told you we'd gone back in time and his name was Adolf Hitler? Would you do it then?'
Zimbabwe, 1980s.
The fighting has stopped, independence has been won and Robert Mugabe has come to power offering the end of the Old Way and promising hope for black Africans.
For Robert Jacklin, it’s all new: new continent, new country, new school. And very quickly he learns that for some of his white classmates, the sound of guns is still loud, and their battles rage on.
Boys like Ivan.
Clever, cunning Ivan.
He wants things back to how they were, and he’s taking his fight to the very top.
Winner of the Costa, the UKLA and the Branford Boase Awards
Creators
Jason Wallace was born in Cheltenham in 1969 but moved to London after his parents split up. Aged 12 his life was turned upside down when his mother remarried and the family emigrated to Zimbabwe. It was this experience in a tough boarding school during the aftermath of the war for independence that forms the foundation of his incredible novel. And he did actually meet Robert Mugabe when he visited his school. Jason is currently a web designer, living in South West London.
Reviews
A stunning debut novel without a false note. Accomplished and powerful, it changes the way you think.
Costa Book Award
(Jason Wallace’s) bleak, ferocious debut is a powerful, devastating read for older teens.
Guardian
(Out of Shadows is) a provocative story, powerfully written. Some may find the themes difficult, the climax shocking, but Wallace has produced a first novel where all the heat and intensity of an African nation in flux burns on every page. He’s a definitely a writer to watch in the future.
The Scotsman
Classic crossover fiction…(Wallace’s) unblinking portrait of true evil raises it above the norm… It’s something that schools should study and readers read. Bravo!
The Times
In its portrayal of race relations in a wounded country as well as of the ugly power dynamics of a community of adolescent boys, this novel excels, bringing readers up to the grim, uncertain present with mastery.
Kirkus, Starred Review
An extraordinary coming-of-age novel . . . a startlingly original debut . . . Charting the change from childhood to adulthood against growing political discord gives the novel a sense of urgency, and the book’s intensity, drama and pace leaves a lasting impact.
Bookseller's choice, The Bookseller
A memorable, moving and disturbing coming-of-age story.
Lovereading, Best Children's Books of 2010
Excellent. (Out of Shadows is) a lacerating addition to the boarding-school-as-living-hell genre. The author gives every indication of knowing exactly what he is writing about.
Independent on Sunday
A powerful story. It’s strong stuff, but never gratuitously so. Great for serious teens.
Time Out
This hard-hitting story could well become a children’s classic.
Daily Express
An original, at times violent, thought provoking and ultimately shocking story for older readers.
Good Book Guide
Sometimes a book takes you somewhere and keeps you there. Honest, brave and devastating – Out of Shadows is more than just memorable. It’s impossible to look away.
Markus Zusak - The author of The Book Thief
Beautifully written.
Independent on Sunday - Hit List
A powerful story.
Carousel
Elegiac and edgy . . . your mind will remain full of this book long after you’ve closed it.
Armadillo Magazine
Jason Wallace is a writer to follow – there will hopefully be many books to look out for in the future. This is a book to be read, to bury a past that has no place in the new Zimbabwe that remains to be built.
The Zimbabwean
One of the best debut novels I’ve ever read . . . At times chilling and dark, yet strangely hopeful, one of those books that I know I’ll revisit in the future . . . I can’t recommend it highly enough.
wondrousreads.com
This is one of those rare, outstanding books that when you come to the end you know with certainty you will return to it again. It is also a book that is so hard-hitting and thought provoking you feel compelled to tell everyone you know to read it!
Browns Books for Students
A thrilling teenage tale of belonging. The charismatic Ivan is a marvellously drawn character; subtle, clever, tough, cruel, devious… Jason Wallace (is a) fine debut author.
Ham & High Series
This is a fantastic book! You can tell Jason Wallace knows what he’s writing about.
Bookwitch
A powerful emotionally charged book.
Nayu's Reading Corner
It is a long time since I’ve read a perfect novel such as this; the type of book that captures you from the opening passages and takes you on a journey that haunts you for days afterwards.
Blogcritics.org
One of the best debuts I have ever read. Fantastically written, powerful and important and at times horribly shocking, yet strangely hopeful. With scene that left me in stunned silence.
Western Morning News
A book to make you think and highly recommended.
Books for Keeps
Jason Wallace paints a shocking picture of betrayed friendships, cruel bullying, and racism in a post-colonial society that leaves readers speechless.
The White Ravens 2011
A moving, thought-provoking book for children 12+.
Western Morning News
Reads very fast and punchy and eggs you on to read more until you finish it.
Books for Keeps
This mind-blowing novel can open the naïve mind of a teenager.
Teen Titles- John Moore, Dollar Academy
