The New York Times Book Review - Sophie Gee
Campbell is a vivid, distinctive writer who creates characters and stories we really care about. There's a peculiar kind of pleasure and anxiety for her readers as we watch Justine with the Andersons. Her damaged past grants her a more loving connection with each of them than they can manage with one another…Campbell gives the local, personal drama of Michael and Hannah's marriage a national and political resonance by setting it during the 2014 campaign for Scottish independence…Gratifyingly, Campbell avoids easy answers, showing us that the pieces of most unions, personal and political, rarely fit neatly together, that true feeling comes into them unexpectedly, beyond the parts of our lives we think we can control.
From the Publisher
[Campbell's] style is gritty, at times dysphoric, bristling with intense feelings kept under skillful control . . . [She] is a vivid, distinctive writer who creates characters and stories we really care about . . . Gratifyingly, Campbell avoids easy answers, showing us that the pieces of most unions, personal and political, rarely fit neatly together, that true feeling comes into them unexpectedly, beyond the parts of our lives we think we can control.” —New York Times Book Review
“[An] impressive U.S. debut. Written in striking, often imaginative prose yet paced as immediately as a thriller, Campbell's novel hits the ground running . . . An engaging writer introduces herself with this fresh, intelligent entertainment, full of satisfying moving parts.” —starred review, Kirkus Reviews
“This is a story of independence—one woman's struggle towards it set against a nationwide attempt to define it.” —The Glasgow Herald
“Accomplished, original, moving . . . all around terrific . . . Campbell’s protagonists are sympathetic, distinctive, and believable and she writes with a strong sense of irony that lends dark humor to the story.” —Publishing Trends
“Campbell beautifully manipulates both characters and colliding events . . . An emotional rollercoaster culminating in a life-and-death collision beside the soaring stones that guard Kilmacarra.” —CurledUp.com
“I loved it. A great, original character and the plot fairly whizzes along.” —Kate Atkinson on The Twilight Time
“The writing is bold, gritty and fearless.” —The Sunday Times on This Is Where I Am
“[A] fine, accomplished novel . . . The characterisation . . . is impeccable . . . Even the descriptions of [Glasgow] are pitch perfect . . . When her debut The Twilight Time was published in 2008, [Campbell] was heralded as a major new talent with huge potential. What she has done in Shadowplay is prove that that assessment was absolutely on the money.” —The Scotsman on Shadowplay
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2015-03-21
A young woman on the run from a vicious pursuer, a troubled marriage, a man tormented by a sneering ghost, and the fight to save a sacred landscape from development are the ingredients in a Scottish author's impressive U.S. debut. Written in striking, often imaginative prose yet paced as immediately as a thriller, Campbell's novel hits the ground running as Justine Strang flees Glasgow on a bus to anywhere, with a stash of stolen money stuffed in her clothes. Desperate to escape from Charlie Boy, whose terrifying marks can be seen on her young flesh, Justine abruptly alights at Kilmacarra, a village in an ancient glen filled with standing stones. Local councilor Michael Anderson's political career hangs on his ability to push through the installation of a wind farm here, while his wife, Hannah, is part of the campaign to stop it. Wracked by Hannah's earlier betrayal of their marriage, Michael believes himself hounded by an apparition that mocks all he holds dear. But a sudden meeting with Justine clears his mind, and soon, she's hired as the Andersons' nanny. Meanwhile, politicians are busy behind the scenes, archaeologists are excavating the stones, and Charlie Boy could show up at any time. Campbell's deft handling of this busy scenario is marked by wit and a strong commitment to the Scottishness of her material, reflected in the language ("trauchle," "crannogs," "smirred," and so on) and her obvious love for Kilmacarra's history and landscape. There are soft spots, including a caricatured Spanish businessman and a convenient love interest, but little hinders the gathering force of the storytelling, with its ground-shifting dash to the finish line. An engaging writer introduces herself with this fresh, intelligent entertainment, full of satisfying moving parts.
