Review: In the Shadow of the Sun by Poli Flores Jr.

A touching tale of brotherly devotion and the life-altering consequences of war, In the Shadow of the Sun by Poli Flores Jr. is an outback California drama that echoes across small-town American life.

In the shifting cultural landscape of the Vietnam era, a young man named Curt leaves for war as a musclebound titan, but returns as a troubled and broken soul, unprepared for the very different battles that still lay ahead. When a respected member of the community is bludgeoned to death shortly after his return, the clues and suspicions all seem to point toward Curt.

With corrupt law enforcement and county officials running the show in Allen County, hope for impartial justice seems impossible, especially with so much valuable land up for grabs. Watching helplessly as forces beyond his control threaten to ruin his brother’s already fractured life, Sammy and the rest of the Mendoza family must do what little they can to interrupt the kangaroo court proceedings before Curt is convicted.

Partially narrated by the soldier’s younger brother Sammy, this novel focuses on the heartfelt and human context of wartime – the families left behind, the uncertainty of societal opinions, and the power struggles that often go unnoticed in rural communities when the eyes of the world are pulled away. The writing is rich with multilayered metaphors, from fatal bee attacks bringing veterans mentally back to North African dogfights, or the body counts from Vietnam being reported like baseball box scores on the nightly news.

These small details of the period-piece storytelling are striking, particularly when told through the eyes of a young protagonist like Sammy. Weaving within innocent childhood experiences are some very grown-up conflicts – for example, his excitement for an upcoming baseball season butting up against the return of his traumatized brother. The omniscient narration, however, gives readers access to a broader overview of the time, with anecdotal scenes of the unfair legal system, the larger motives at work in the county, and the gritty reality of life in the trenches, as well as behind bars.

Thematically, Flores fearlessly explores the cycles of trauma and abuse that can flow between generations, and the ramifications of violence abroad that can so easily shift to destruction back home. The plot is unraveled patiently and the drama is paced well, offering the chance to get to know the characters in their own elements, before fully understanding their place in the central conflict of the novel, immersing readers in the lives and motivations of the sheriff, the locals, and the family members affected by the dark scheme at the heart of this story. The author also touches on the insidious nature of racism and prejudice in even the smallest aspects of life that persist to this day.

On the technical front, there are occasional grammatical errors, double negatives, and misused words, as well as inconsistency in the tone of certain characters. The language used in some scenes, particularly in formal spaces like courtrooms, can feel unpolished, breaking the illusion that Flores generally weaves so well. Overall, the story moves cinematically, and it could easily be converted to the big screen thanks to the wealth of character development and tension, as well as the timely and seemingly perennial nature of America’s mishandled veteran affairs.