The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova

The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova is many things. It is an adventure story, a political critique, and a Bulgarian travelogue, all in one, written by an author who clearly loves Bulgaria. It is the story of a quest by Alexandra Boyd, a young American woman, and a young Bulgarian taxi driver with an unpronounceable Bulgarian name who goes by his English nickname, Bobby.

Bulgaria was a place intriguing to Alexandra and her older brother as they examined maps together growing up. But that beloved older brother disappeared in a tragic accident, a loss that Alexandra has never recovered from.  Alexandra has come to Bulgaria in an attempt to ease the persistent pain associated with her loss.

Alexandra and Bobby are thrown together when Alexandra accidentally picks up a piece of luggage belonging to a Bulgarian family; that bag holds an exquisitely carved box engraved with the name Stoyan Lazarov, and which contains his ashes. In their attempts to return the ashes to the family and learn who this Stoyan Lazarov is, Alexandra and Bobby visit cities and charming villages, picturesque mountaintop retreats and the Black Sea coast. However, Alexandra and Bobby soon realize that someone is following them and that they are in danger. They come to believe that there is something about the ashes that they carry that is attracting the unwanted attention of a mysterious enemy. Despite the increasingly violent nemesis that pursues them, they strive to solve the riddle of why this dead man is a threat.

The Shadow Land also provides commentary on life in 20th century Bulgaria and on the suffering and terror the people dealt with under the repressive government. The description of the struggles of Stoyan Lazarov to survive in a labor camp is almost too painful to read.

This is a very good book; I’d give it 4 of 5 stars.

The Historian, another wonderful novel by Elizabeth Kostova, shares some elements with The Shadow Land, but in The Historian, the evil that must be conquered comes from a supernatural fictional being, while in The Shadow Land, danger comes from other men, the characters’ fellow Bulgarians: sinister magic vs. gritty reality. That intriguing element of the paranormal in The Historian made it even more enjoyable to me than The Shadow Land. More about The Historian in a future review.