The Man Without a Shadow

The Man Without a Shadow is a novel by Joyce Carol Oates published in 2016 by Ecco Press.

The Man Without a Shadow

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

Plot

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Reception

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]