Shadows in Summerland

June 6, 2016
In an America on the cusp of Civil War, Boston's bereaved are easy marks for con artist mediums. Photographer William Mumler stumbles upon an ideal partner in gulling his marks: Hannah, who appears to have a genuine gift for making the dead appear in photographs. Marriage to Hannah and financial success soon follow. But Hannah comes with troublesome baggage in the form of her stern mother, and success brings with it the ambitious and the greedy, all determined to have a share of William and Hannah's wealth for their ownâor to destroy them. Van Young's debut novel recalls an era no less gullible than the present one. Drawing on the lives of the historical Mr. and Mrs. Mumler, Van Young paints a picture of the possibilities of faith for those ambitious and amoral enough to exploit other people's pain, people who will not allow a moment of genuine mystery to distract them from the main chance. Van Young's prose skillfully illuminates his gothic tale of greed, obsession, and murder. Fans of his short fiction will be pleased.