Critical Consensus for 2/11: Louise Erdrich’s Shadow Tag
Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich
Just in time for Valentine’s Day comes Louise Erdrich’s Shadow Tag–a novel that the Washington Post calls “a tense little masterpiece of marital strife.” Shadow Tag is a departure from the sweeping work Erdrich is known for, as it focuses on one family and the dynamics of a failing marriage. The story begins when Irene America, the book’s protagonist, discovers her husband, Gil, has been reading her diary. As a form of revenge, Irene begins filling her diary with lies and invented infidelities, and Erdrich alternates between that diary, Irene’s real diary, and third-person narration to tell the story. The three narratives combine to reveal a cruel, deteriorating marriage where both partners are simultaneously defined and destroyed by each other. While it may not be the most uplifting story, critics are calling Erdrich’s latest an insightful, compelling read that echoes the author’s own life.
“While Shadow Tag is decidedly less humorous than most of [Erdrich's] other work, it is compelling, a bleak exploration of the ties of blood and marriage.” - Connie Ogle, The Miami Herald
“In places, ‘Shadow Tag’ seems more like notes for a novel than fully realized fiction. [...] Elsewhere, though, Erdrich’s unbridled urgency yields startlingly original phrasing [...] as well as flashes of blinding lucidity.” - Leah Hager Cohen, New York Times
“What would have been oppressively grim in a longer work remains arresting in this taut tale.” - Ron Charles, Washington Post
“Erdrich has always been a master of metaphor; here she uses the native American belief of shadows as souls to powerful effect.” - Yvonne Zipp, The Christian Science Monitor
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