Shadow of My Brother is a 1966 novel by American author Davis Grubb.

First edition
(publ. Holt Rinehart Winston)

Story line and development

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A young boy is brutally murdered in a Southern town while five people watch. The author goes back three generations of the Wilson family to build a narrative of terror and evil.[1]

Editions

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  • Holt, Rinehart & Winston 1966. This was Grubb's first and only novel for Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

Reviews

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Louis Grubb in his preface to You Never Believe Me quotes Lillian Smiths's review of the novel: Shadow of My Brother...is one of the best novels ever written on the mind-in-depth of a white-racist. Davis Grubb knows of evil and sweetness in the human heart as few writers understand it.[2]

An unsigned review published in Time Magazine was not so generous: At its best, Grubb's imagery is impressive and his prose is lyrical. But his uncontrolled bombast, his near-hysterical characters, and his determination to leave no grit unhominized often make the cliché-ridden novel read like a bad parody.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Introduction by Louis Grubb, in Grubb, Davis, You Never Believe Me, St Martin's Press, New York,, p. ix-x, 1989.
  2. ^ Introduction by Louis Grubb, in Grubb, Davis, You Never Believe Me, St Martin's Press, New York,, p. ix, 1989.
  3. ^ Books: Short Notices: Apr. 29, 1966 - TIME