 First edition | |
| Author | Joyce Carol Oates |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Ecco Press |
Publication date | 2016 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 284 |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-241609-4 |
The Man Without a Shadow is a novel by Joyce Carol Oates published in 2016 by Ecco Press.
 | This section needs a plot summary.(April 2025) |
Calling The Man Without a Shadow “remarkably unusual and haunting,” literary critic Eric K. Anderson at Bearing Witness: Joyce Carol Oates Studies writes:
The Man Without a Shadow is a triumphantly successful novel that makes original connections between science’s mission to comprehend the elusive mechanics of the mind and the humanities’ exploration of the manifestations of love. [3]
New York Times critic Leah Hager Cohen reports that The Man Without a Shadow is “uncomfortable reading” in both its narrative and thematic scope. [4] Acknowledging Oates’s audacity in portraying “violence, betrayal and shame, sexual and otherwise,” Cohen questions her treatment of these topics: “It’s as if this material mesmerizes her so utterly that it impedes the full range of her power to interrogate it…” [5]
Reviewer Jeff Robson at The Independent notes “A moving climax proves that, unlike her protagonists, Oates' talents and perceptions remain unimpaired.” [6]