Synopses & Reviews
Without question Charles Baxter, whose ravishing novel The Feast of Love was a National Book Award finalist, is one of our finest contemporary writers. In the novel Shadow Play, a decent man, having made a "devil's bargain," finds himself on that precarious border between personal love and social responsibility.
Review
"Baxter is at his best in his short stories; here, he leaves the reader with less than satisfying resolutions. But his odd characters, set in familiar American landscapes and rendered in a fine, controlled style, remain vivid. Recommended." Library Journal
Review
"In his quiet cosmic wonderment, Baxter is the equal of John Updike and Anne Tyler at their largest and best." GQ
Review
"We have the satisfaction of having been immersed in a beautifully rendered and fully imagined world." Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
Synopsis
Without question Charles Baxter, whose ravishing novel The Feast of Love was a National Book Award finalist, is one of our finest contemporary writers. These two books, set in the Michigan landscape that Baxter has made his own, display his unparalleled gift for revealing the unexpected in everyday life. In the novel Shadow Play, a decent man, having made a devil's bargain, finds himself on that precarious border between personal love and social responsibility. Reading group guide included.
Synopsis
His wife does gymnastics and magic tricks. His crazy mother invents her own vocabulary, and his aunt writes her own version of the Bible. Through all this, Wyatt Palmer tries to live a normal life. But when he lures a toxic waste producing chemical plant to his economically depressed town, Wyat discovers he has truly made a deal with the Devil.
About the Author
Charles Baxter lives in Ann Arbor and teaches at the University of Michigan. He is the recipient of a Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Foundation Award for Writers and an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Exclusive Essay
Read an exclusive essay by Charles Baxter