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Barbara Hodgson is the author of The Lives of Shadows and Hippolyte’s Island.

Barbara is a Vancouver-based writer, photographer, and designer. She is the author of several acclaimed illustrated novels that are brought to life by an amazing array of archival photographs, antique postcards and rare engravings. She is an inveterate traveller and collector with a chronic case of wanderlust.

Her illustrated novels include Hippolyte’s Island, The Sensualist and The Tattooed Map. Her non-fiction works include Opium: Portrait of a Heavenly Demon, In the Arms of Morpheus, Morphine and Patent Medicines and No Place for a Lady.

“Hodgson, using her talents as both writer and artist, once again displays her gift for bringing charmingly idiosyncratic characters to life.” —Publishers Weekly

The Lives of Shadows:
From the acclaimed author of Hippolyte’s Island, The Sensualist and The Tattooed Map comes another intriguing work of illustrated fiction. Blending text, ephemera, maps, antique books and mysterious handwritten notations, The Lives of Shadows is set agains the rich backdrop of post World War II Damascus and evokes a romantic, long-vanished Middle East.

Interweaving poetic prose and evocative colour illustration, Hodgson tells the story of an Englishman, Julian, who is transfixed by the beautiful house he has inherited. When threatened with its loss, he struggles to unravel the history of his beloved house and his deep connection to it. All the while, a strangely protective and tender being hovers in the shadows, confounding Julian’s attempts to hold onto both his home and his grip on reality.

“Smoke and mirrors, magic realism, Alice through the looking glass, page-turning intrigue and extremely readable prose are all wrapped up in a beautifully illustrated and designed package. The Lives of Shadows is the latest offering from Barbara Hodgson, a Vancouver writer with such an admirable combination of skills that it’s a wonder that she isn’t among the most acclaimed of Canadian writers ...

“Barbara Hodgson is a fine writer and an edge-of-your-seat storyteller. This, combined with her accomplished artistic talent and instict about just how to marry the two, results in books that should be on everyone’s shelf, and more than one award shortlist.” —Globe and Mail

Interior spread from Lives of Shadows.