In the Shadow of Trees

by Elenor Gill

A romantic thriller set in present-day New Zealand, In the Shadow of Trees covers a period of several weeks in the life of Regan, a nationally acclaimed sculptor, who is renowned for her work in wood. Fleeing a disastrous relationship with a much younger man, Jason Sullivan, Regan retreats to an isolated house on the Sullivan estate in the remote forests of Northland to prepare a series of sculptures for a major new exhibition. As she works she begins to fall under the spell of the trees and experiences strange recurring dreams and lapses in time, which seem to be related to an ornately carved wooden mirror in the cottage. When a reserved Irish handyman on the estate, Liam, is directed to carry out repairs to the cottage, a relationship slowly develops. But as the shadows deepen around Regan, Liam becomes increasingly concerned about her growing obsession with the trees. And what they find out about the bizarre history of the Sullivan women, whose graves are secreted away on the estate, alarms him even further. Building to an enthralling climax, this beautifully written novel is haunting and compelling, and signals the arrival of a significant new talent in contemporary fiction.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery Thriller, Thriller

304 pages, Paperback

Published March 5, 2006

About the author

Early in life I developed an interest and dedication to matters of the occult and the paranormal. Along with my professional interest in psychiatry, parapsychology has inspired the subject matter for my creative writing.
Born in England, I lived for many years in Cambridge where I worked as an occupational therapist in remedial psychiatry. My work was concerned with the rehabilitation of long term patients. Alongside both individual and group counselling and the nurturing of practical living skills, this involved a variety of creative therapies, such as drama, music and art. This allowed me to develop the use of creative writing as a therapeutic tool in the treatment of mental illness, which in turn gave me the opportunity to explore my own literary skills.
I emigrated from England to New Zealand in 1999 and now live on the East Coast with my husband and two cats. I she continues to write, make music and - more recently - develop an interest in creative photography and digital manipulation.

Reviews

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I liked everything about it, from the characters, to the first person narrative which I found very down to earth and engaging. The storyline held my attention and kept me intrigued right to the end. A great find from an author living in New Zealand.

[Maggie]

A young sculptor is devastated by relationship issues & is lacking motivation for her art. In need of finding solitude to rekindle her creative side her xpartner takes her to a place where he began his life; where he was brought up. She finds a trail of early death, in the gravestones present on this piece of land. She is consumed by the environment & seeks to find out why these women have died at such young ages.
This book is totally compelling from the first moment you pick it up. You are captivated by Regan’s altering emotions as she herself has trouble staying in control, by an environment that is willing her to stay & be yet another fatality.
 
Once: Morri

[Ashleigh Motbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would have to be one of the best books which I have ever read. It's so intruiging and had me guessing the end right up until the final page. Fantastic

[Rosie Herbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book..it kept my interest right up to the last page
Her writing style helped me create the most wonderful visuals in my mind

[SBC · Rating 2 out of 5]

A NZ classic ghost story. I picked it up because I thought it might be about dryads, but it wasn't, and wasn't to my taste.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Someone · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of the book is completely boring and nothing happens. It gets more exciting in the second half but everything is pretty abstract and no real good explenation for "why?"

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was enchanting. It's not usually what I would read but I was pleasantly surprised through out the entire book. I love the way the mystery unfolds throughout the book, and I love the mysticism and pagan based ideology. Definitely one of my favourite reads for the year.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book enchanting. As an artist myself, I was able to relate to the character. I am also interested in the paranormal, thus this book was a real treat to read. The descriptions of the fauna and flora are breath-taking, and the reader is transported into the character's dreams with ease, only to be taken on a fascinating discovery of a warped family history. Lots of Irish folklore and intruiging mysteries... I highly recommend this book for all who appreciate nature, art, the paranormal and/or folklore. I could not put this book down!

[Deirdre · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book for travel reading. If you like art, trees, Gaelic mysticism, you may find this entertaining.I was a little apprehensive that the romance would take over the book or that the paranormal activity would be too ridiculous or violent, but it was OK...it was a little ridiculous, but a easy ready on the plane and on the beach.

[Purple Osprey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bloody hell, this book actually got me scared!
I was half expecting it would go down the old possessed by a dead woman road, and I'm so glad it didn't.
It's well written and overall a good entertainment.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book catapulted me into the world of thriller novels. I had never been one for reading at leisure and picked this up on a lazy afternoon, since then I've been hungry for more!
I found it was a great storyline and found it hard to put down always wanting to know what's going happen next!

[Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't gel with the main character, she annoyed me quite a bit. But enjoyed the book despite that. Reads like a first novel and I checked (it is) so hoping that the author gets better with the characters in later books.

[Elaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the seven sacred trees, but have to say that the 'young' setting of New Zealand doesn't quite carry the tale.