Title: Lost in the Shadows: One Memory, Two Loves
Author: Alan M. Oberdeck
Publisher: Great Writers Media
ISBN: 978-1-954908-14-7
Genre: Christian Fiction
Pages: 141
Reviewed by: Allison Walker
Hollywood Book Reviews
It was a dark and stormy night when the stranger’s Ford careened off the side of the road and left him injured on the side of a mountain. Hurt and suffering severe amnesia, the stranger can’t recall who he is, where he’s from, or what he was doing when the accident happened. He could simply be the victim of an unfortunate car accident or he could be a criminal on the run, and not himself nor the town sheriff nor the hospital doctor can figure it out. Unwilling to give their patient the name of an unidentified deceased person, John Doe, the sheriff instead names his file John Rockhouse, after the place he was found. John’s memory is filled with gaping, empty spaces but one nurse in particular, a young woman from southern Wisconsin, is slowly helping John to recover. But as he begins to remember his past, John realizes not all memories are happy ones.
Lost in the Shadows: One Memory, Two Loves, by author Alan M. Oberdeck, is a Christian fiction romance-drama with all of the strong moral values you’d expect and rely on from the genre. The characters are honest, hardworking people whose self-reliant and optimistic attitudes overcome any and all challenges they face. Set in the 1960’s, Lost in the Shadows utilizes traditional values to the story’s advantage – yet is not set so far in the past as to make it unrelatable. When John is finally released from the hospital, he is taken to room and board with a local family where he can finally focus on paying his hospital debts, recovering his lost memories, and spend more time with Susan. With her help, John’s past slowly comes back and he makes new memories as well. But just as John realizes he may be falling in love with Susan, a piece of his past threatens to upset their newfound relationship.
John and Susan have a very respectful relationship. It’s one of the cornerstones of the story and it’s extremely well written. For example, Susan recognizes when John isn’t ready to commit to an intimate relationship, and even though we know she is ready to express herself physically with John, she respects his boundaries without him having to ask. John also recognizes he’s not ready to be anything more than friends and chooses to maintain a platonic relationship out of respect and care for Susan’s feelings. The relationship is very romantic. As is the serendipitous coincidence that John should happen to experience his accident in the same small, out-of-state and away from home town, where a young woman just happened to seek a new life for herself, and that these two should meet at the exact time in their lives when they need each other. Lost in the Shadows hits a bull’s eye with Cupid’s arrow.
John’s amnesia does feel a little overdone. While it creates good conflict for the main character, an equally intriguing story line would be John learning to accept his traumatic past experience. As it is, John never really gets a chance to grieve for Katy. She is his childhood friend, sometimes his only friend, and his fiancé. Their love endures a very Westside Story family feud because of conflicting religious perspectives. John is so upset over her death that he has to leave his family and hometown. Then, John almost dies in the same kind of accident which took Katy’s life. That is a great backstory for this character but it’s swept under the metaphorical rug by his amnesia.
Author Alan M. Oberdeck delivers a 1960’s romance which still feels very modern. Like its characters, Lost in the Shadows is wholesome and honest. It’s story line utilizes classic devises in new and interesting ways. The story plays well to the Christian fiction genre while maintaining a general appeal. Overall, it’s an appealing read for young adults and grown adults alike.