Shadow of Light, a passionate and controversial debut novel by David David Kernan, is set in 1993 Los Angeles with suggestions of autobiography. Wouldn’t you want to know what organized religion kept hidden for centuries and how you can link again to the divine? Sounds like the serpent in Eden, right or wrong? And, wouldn’t a male version of a love story trigger curiosity of many?
Makeup artist David, recently divorced and running in every direction of the LA region, is lost and disconnected, when he meets a beautiful man, Daniel . He invites him to join him, which quickly leads to a spell-bound fall in love. “There are no words, though it is my nature to fin them. Still, how does one describe intimacy without sounding vulgar? How does a man disclose every sensation without naming some part of him that may not exist for anyone else?” (p.138)
Daniel shares the stunning truth about man’s connection to the divine, and reduces every religion on the planet to myth. Sexuality is the anchor of this novel en the theory, like many poets and philosophers thought before Kernan. And of course there are the furious reactions of family and former friends. Experiences on cloud nine are countered with death wishes and “You will burn in Hell, David!” (p.515). Though the name of God is abused on almost every single page in the book, David & Daniel (biblical names used not coincidentally) devalue the “Bible…and every book of religion out there – truths based only in their immediate cultures, closed circles that disallow even a hint of progression.” (p.627) It’s this intriguing mix of “show, don’t tell” regarding lust and intercourse versus “tell, don’t show” regarding a genuine authentic connection with the divine world, instead of pursuing organized religion that characterizes Shadow of Light.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Mg8nbCa4Po
About the author
David David Kernan was born in Hollywood and raised in the San Fernando Valley, a sprawling suburb of Los Angeles. He attended Catholic school through the seventh grade then entered the public school system, followed by some college before becoming a makeup artist in the entertainment industry. He is now a writer living quietly outside Los Angeles. He was married, now divorced, and has three children. David devotes his time to writing and family and also enjoys sailing when he can, as well as music, gardening and drawing. David loves the feel of the ground under his feet and often forgoes wearing shoes. His favorite author is Harold Bloom.
