Whispering Shadows

February 9, 2015
Paul Leibovitz, the hero of this contemplative, understated novel from Sendker (The Art of Hearing Heartbeats), feels bereft after his young son dies of leukemia. A long-time Hong Kong resident, the German-born Leibovitz is now divorced and living a reclusive life on the outlying island of Lamma, where his obsession for keeping the memories of his son alive has kept him in a continual state of mourning. But his aimless existence is given meaningâand put into grave dangerâwhen he helps an old friend, a Chinese homicide detective, find the truth behind the murder of an American businessman. A burgeoningâalbeit fragileârelationship with a woman he meets while walking complicates his life further. Equal parts crime thriller, romance, and examination of the impact of Chinaâs Cultural Revolution on those who endured its atrocities, this novel is, at its heart, a story about the burden of survival. Despite a predictable ending, it still packs a wallop.