Bibliography
Avi. 2008. The Seer of Shadows. New York. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780060000165.
Plot Summary
Scientific and rational Horace Carpetine lives in New York in 1872 and serves as apprentice to Enoch Middleditch, society photographer. When Middleditch sees dollar signs in the eyes of a mother who has lost her child, Horace begins to question his role as apprentice and the photographer’s morals. After Middleditch photographs the distraught mother in her home, Horace finds ghostly images of the departed daughter appearing in the pictures. In his quest to uncover the cause of the images, Horace is befriended by the family’s serving girl, Pegg. Soon, he is caught up in a supernatural mystery causing him to question all of the rational teachings of his father. Fighting everything he has been raised to believe, Horace faces the spirit of the lost daughter and unearths the cause of her unrest.
Critical Analysis
Written in the formal, educated manner one would expect from an adult of the latter nineteenth century, fourteen year-old Horace’s tale unfolds quickly and draws the reader into the mystery of Eleanora Von Macht’s death. The story reads as one which the author has long-awaited telling and his relief at doing so is palpable. Avi, writing as Horace in memoir, fills the story with characters that all children know exist, even if only in stories: the earnest and eager young apprentice, the greedy tradesman, the “grieving” mother, and the distraught friend seeking justice; then wraps them in a veil of ghostly mystery.
Set in New York in 1872, Avi describes the city in such a way that it materializes around Horace and Pegg as they navigate the streets. Moving quickly into the mystery surrounding Eleanora’s death, Pegg slowly reveals details as she grows to trust Horace. Horace soon realizes his talent for seeing the departed, along with Eleanora’s desire for vengeance. As the young team races to assuage Eleanora’s spirit and help her find rest, Horace, and the reader find that not everything can be explained rationally and sometimes one must just believe what is seen.
Always returning to the photography that unleashes the vengeful Eleanora, Avi does not shy from allowing Horace to explain the processes and continue to practice his trade. Fans of photography will enjoy the attention to detail within these descriptive passages.
Awards and Reviews
Starred Review from Publisher’s Weekly - An intriguing ghost story. Details about photographic processes add authenticity, while the book’s somber ending will leave spines tingling.
From Kirkus Review - This tale proves that the time-honored ghost story, capably researched, well-paced and fusing the Gothic elements of mystery, madness and romance, can still thrill in the hands of a skilled craftsman.
Connections
Share your favorite ghost story with a friend.
Research Nineteenth Century apprenticeships and what kinds of trades were learned.
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