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Revision as of 11:04, 29 August 2020
, 11:04, 29 August 2020no edit summary
Something, not least a power that seems to emanate from the portrait itself, implores Colin to investigate the painting's provenance. His journey to do just that will take him from Paris to London, to Sussex, and back to Paris again. And while he does, he notices that the purple shadow seems to subtly change shape and hue, and Sylvie's expression changes almost imperceptibly...
''The Purple Shadow'' is Bowden's fifth novel. Each has a colour in the title and here, it's the mysterious shadow in the painting which provides the supernatural flavour of the book. Don't think of it as a supernatural novel though - at its heart, it's a mystery with the painting as a key that unlocks a long-lost love story. In addition to colour themes, Bowden also has developed characters and relationships who flow between his novels. Here, Colin is the brother of Clare, the protagonist in another of Bowden's novels.
You're drawn into the narrative immediately by the vivid description of a startlingly captivating painting and, as a reader, you're as invested in getting to the bottom of the mystery as the main character is. Bowden is a sharp observer and I loved his descriptions of Paris and London and Sussex and the people who live in both city and country. The novel also spends time describing the lives of jobbing actors and the British film industry in the 1930s. This may be fiction but you feel, as you read, that it comes from a place of knowledge.
In the end, the mystery in ''The Purple Shadow'' comes down to the possibility of enduring love. To discover whether or not Colin Mallory finds it to be so, you'll need to read the book!
You should also look at [[The Green Door by Christopher Bowden|The Green Door]], also by Bowden, and another novel with a slightly supernatural feel, this time focusing on an antique locket. You might also enjoy [[Cinema Blue by Sue Rulliere]]. You might also enjoy [[Firelight by Kristen Callihan]] or [[French Lessons by Ellen Sussman]].
{{interviewtext|author=Christopher Bowden about 'The Purple Shadow'}}
