Shadow Work

by Cynthia Tyler

Does everyone have a shadow side? Shadow Work is a contemporary journey laced with humor and psychological intrigue in which the antagonist is an energy called the shadow--a hidden energy that unconsciously controls us, our relationships, our environment, and ultimately our lives. In Cynthia Tyler's prior novel Descanso , Chris Cameron overcame the grief of losing her life partner to murder. In Shadow Work , Cameron, a psychotherapist, moves forward and finds herself simultaneously falling for a cop named Linda Vasquez, facing new challenges at work, and coming to terms with a world where bigger, better, shinier, louder, the shorthand for the Orwellian superficiality of the new millennium, tries to drown out her call to evolve into a conscious life filled with love, meaning, and integrity. Linda Vasquez takes Chris home to meet the parents, her best friend Corey wrestles with all-too-familiar addictions, and Chris follows some very interesting clients with issues that surface multiple ethical and legal concerns pertinent to living in contemporary America under the rule of the radical political right.

Genres: Fiction

191 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2006

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for the most part. It is a follow up to Tyler's Descanso, a story about a woman's life following the loss of her partner. (See Book #4) My personal spiritual ideas and practice brought me to this book. I have done a lot of "shadow work" on my personal healing journey and was interested in how Tyler would tackle such a topic in fiction. I sort of wish she'd written more about that healing process, as opposed illustrating how the shadow operates in life. As the story goes on, the main character and all of the characters in the book reveal their shadows. However, most are unaware of it - if that makes any sense.

I wanted more from this book...more confrontation of that hidden side of self and more exploration of how the characters embark on that journey. But perhaps I am expecting too much from fiction? I did like how the main character moved through each expience with the shadow she encountered - both her own and the shadows of others in her life.