and the shadows took him
The novel “and the shadows took him”, by Daniel Chacon, was different than any novel I have read before, especially the writing style and the dialogue language. But after reading the book, I thought it was a good narrative with mixed elements of drama and suspense. Chacon presented a portrait of the Molina family and their struggle to survive and to fit in. It was a personal recollection of memorable events throughout a period of time, and it all came well together into one fine story. I also thought the novel offered a contrast of different personalities and the love-and-hate relationship between them. Chacon had several characters but only three played the main roles in developing his story: William, Rachel, and Joey. Billy and Vero, the other two members of the family, had minor roles but he kept them in the story through the end.
Chacon had villains and victims in his story. William Molina was the main villain from start to finish. And he was able to continue as such because no one tried hard enough to stop him, not even his wife. It was only Vero, his daughter, who stood up to him and refused to become his victim any longer, and she left the family. William was a bad father consumed with anger, which he released through acts of violence against his children. He was good at work and at improving his workplace. But at home he did not know how to treat or love his family, he was being selfish and belligerent. His arrogance led him to think he had the power over people and ultimately Amy became another one of his victims. Chacon showed the dark side of this character and the domino effect of his actions. He also wanted to assure his readers, at the end of the book, that William would be punished for what he did to Amy and Joey.
Rachel, in her role as a mother, tried to hold her family together. She was passive in the way she handled the abusive behavior of her husband towards her children. She loved her children and tried to teach them values, and she even kept in touch with Vero. But she could not stop William from breaking her family apart. She was a victim in an abusive relationship, and was submissive for a long time. Playing the piano gave her a sense of joy and relieve that she was missing in her life. She wanted to leave William sooner but needed him financially so she took advantage of his good income. She planned to stay with him till she finished her education and was able to make it on her own. Chacon did well in gradually transforming her character from a victim to victorious.
Joey, the younger son, was the vocal point in this story. It sounded to me as if Chacon was speaking through Joey: sometimes telling a story and other times telling about himself. Joey seemed like a nice kid who wanted his family to spend time together and have fun. He had a curious mind and a vivid imagination that made his character more interesting. He loved to act and entertain, and after his performance when he saw people applauding, “it was the best feeling in his life” (Chacon 280). He often thought of ways to become someone else other than himself, and did that through acting, in order to escape reality for a while. His relationship with Amy and Leah was another turning point in his life; he started to think about doing the right thing. Joey was another victim of William’s aggression. He did not like the way his father treated him, and he did not want to become like his father. Chacon managed to carry on several arguments between the three phases in Joey’s life (past, present, and future) in order to demonstrate his struggle with himself.
I thought Chacon wrote a good novel and did very well in his presentation of people and places. I expected to read about what happened to his characters, but he left the ending for readers to draw their own conclusion. I like to think that Rachel made it out of Oregon and succeeded in her new life without William, and that Joey did win the battle against his fear of failure and did succeed in his acting career. I enjoyed reading this novel; it was a well-told story.
Chacon had villains and victims in his story. William Molina was the main villain from start to finish. And he was able to continue as such because no one tried hard enough to stop him, not even his wife. It was only Vero, his daughter, who stood up to him and refused to become his victim any longer, and she left the family. William was a bad father consumed with anger, which he released through acts of violence against his children. He was good at work and at improving his workplace. But at home he did not know how to treat or love his family, he was being selfish and belligerent. His arrogance led him to think he had the power over people and ultimately Amy became another one of his victims. Chacon showed the dark side of this character and the domino effect of his actions. He also wanted to assure his readers, at the end of the book, that William would be punished for what he did to Amy and Joey.
Rachel, in her role as a mother, tried to hold her family together. She was passive in the way she handled the abusive behavior of her husband towards her children. She loved her children and tried to teach them values, and she even kept in touch with Vero. But she could not stop William from breaking her family apart. She was a victim in an abusive relationship, and was submissive for a long time. Playing the piano gave her a sense of joy and relieve that she was missing in her life. She wanted to leave William sooner but needed him financially so she took advantage of his good income. She planned to stay with him till she finished her education and was able to make it on her own. Chacon did well in gradually transforming her character from a victim to victorious.
Joey, the younger son, was the vocal point in this story. It sounded to me as if Chacon was speaking through Joey: sometimes telling a story and other times telling about himself. Joey seemed like a nice kid who wanted his family to spend time together and have fun. He had a curious mind and a vivid imagination that made his character more interesting. He loved to act and entertain, and after his performance when he saw people applauding, “it was the best feeling in his life” (Chacon 280). He often thought of ways to become someone else other than himself, and did that through acting, in order to escape reality for a while. His relationship with Amy and Leah was another turning point in his life; he started to think about doing the right thing. Joey was another victim of William’s aggression. He did not like the way his father treated him, and he did not want to become like his father. Chacon managed to carry on several arguments between the three phases in Joey’s life (past, present, and future) in order to demonstrate his struggle with himself.
I thought Chacon wrote a good novel and did very well in his presentation of people and places. I expected to read about what happened to his characters, but he left the ending for readers to draw their own conclusion. I like to think that Rachel made it out of Oregon and succeeded in her new life without William, and that Joey did win the battle against his fear of failure and did succeed in his acting career. I enjoyed reading this novel; it was a well-told story.
posted by Marlene at 9:08 AM
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