{{short description|2010 children's historical novel by Jason Wallace}} {{Use British English|date=April 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}} {{Infobox book | name = Out of Shadows | image = Out of Shadows (Jason Wallace).png | alt = | caption = | author = Jason Wallace | audio_read_by = Ben Onwukwe<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Out-of-Shadows-Audiobook/B004W4ZCR6|title=Out of Shadows Audiobook|website=Audible.co.uk|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref> | cover_artist = | language = English | genre = Historical fiction | set_in = Zimbabwe in the 1980s | publisher = Andersen Press | pub_date = 28 January 2010<ref name="Penguin"/> | pub_place = London | media_type = Print (paperback), e-book, audiobook | pages = 288<ref name="Penguin"/> | awards = 2010 Costa Book Award<br>2011 Branford Boase Award<br>2011 UKLA Book Award | isbn = 978-1-84939-048-4 | oclc = 768655861 | dewey = [Fic] | congress = PZ7.W15655 Out 2010 }} '''''Out of Shadows''''' is a 2010 children's historical novel by Jason Wallace, published by Andersen Press on 28 January 2010. Set in 1980s Zimbabwe, the story follows white teenager Robert Jacklin at a prestigious boarding school as he confronts bullying, anti-black racism, his own morality and the political instability of the time. His debut novel, it is partly inspired by Wallace's own experiences attending a boarding school in Zimbabwe after the civil war. The novel was rejected by publishers one hundred times before being published by Andersen Press. The novel received favourable reviews and won the 2010 Costa Book Award for Children's Book, the 2011 Branford Boase Award and the 2011 UKLA Book Award. It was also shortlisted for the 2010 Booktrust Teenage Prize and the 2011 Carnegie Medal.
==Synopsis== In 1983, thirteen-year-old Robert Jacklin arrives from England at Haven School, an elite boys' boarding school in Zimbabwe. He is the son of a British intellectual attached to the British Embassy. Robert befriends Nelson Ndube, one of the few black pupils at the school, but eventually turns to the white elite of the school instead in an effort to find safety and acceptances. Many of the white students, particularly Ivan Hascott, are racist bullies who are still angered that the country's white minority lost power to its black majority after the recent civil war. Robert wrestles with his conscience while becoming drawn into their ideology and practices. Ivan's family has suffered during Robert Mugabe's rise to power, and Ivan pressures Robert into joining his quest for revenge on black Africans. Robert becomes disturbed by Ivan's increasingly violent behavior.
==Background== ''Out of Shadows'' took one year and six months to complete. Wallace himself attended a boarding school in Zimbabwe shortly after the end of the Rhodesian Bush War/Zimbabwean War of Liberation.<ref name=Jwall>[http://www.jwallace.co.uk/ Jason Wallace Website] Retrieved 28 October 2011.</ref> While a student there, he wanted to write a story of what he had seen and experienced. The political atmosphere in Zimbabwe was declining and unstable, and inspired Wallace to begin writing fictional stories of his encounters. Though the characters in ''Out of Shadows'' are not real, they served to demonstrate the attitudes or personalities "a very few people" were portraying. Wallace notes that he "came up with the idea of "What if...?"<ref name=Jwall /> and took it from there" when he was writing the novel. There may be many similar aspects of the novel's story may share with Wallace's real life but they are general details and are not very specific.
''Out of Shadows'' was rejected by one hundred literary agents and publishers before being picked up by Andersen Press.<ref>{{cite news|date=4 January 2011|title=Writer rejected 100 times wins top children's award|url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/writer-rejected-100-times-wins-top-childrens-award-1690599|newspaper=The Scotsman|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Akbar|first=Arifa|date=5 January 2011|title=Writer who was rejected 100 times is finally rewarded|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/writer-who-was-rejected-100-times-is-finally-rewarded-2176111.html|url-status=live|newspaper=The Independent|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/writer-who-was-rejected-100-times-is-finally-rewarded-2176111.html|archive-date=24 May 2022|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=5 January 2011|title=Rejected 100 times now author wins Costa award|url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/england/london-travel/rejected-100-times-now-author-wins-costa-award-vcw0s25hpf9|url-status=live|newspaper=The Times|archive-url=https://archive.today/20221123043126/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rejected-100-times-now-author-wins-costa-award-vcw0s25hpf9|archive-date=23 November 2022|access-date=16 April 2020|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The novel was first published in paperback format in the United Kingdom by Andersen Press on 28 January 2010.<ref name="Penguin">{{cite web|url=https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/108/1086142/out-of-shadows/9781849390484.html|title=Out of Shadows|website=Penguin Books UK|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref> In April 2011, it was published in the United States by Holiday House ({{ISBN|978-0-8234-2342-2}}).<ref name="PW"/> It was later translated into Portuguese,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.record.com.br/produto/fora-das-sombras/|title=Fora das sombras|website=Grupo Editorial Record|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=FORA DAS SOMBRAS - 1ªED.(2012) - Jason Wallace|url=https://www.travessa.com.br/fora-das-sombras-1-ed-2012/artigo/83e90f23-2030-424f-864e-38df2113b6e3|publisher=Livraria da Travessa|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref> Turkish<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tudem.com/urun/kultur/1008/tudem_edebiyat/1298/golgelerden_uzakta.aspx|title=Gölgelerden Uzakta|website=Tudem Yayın Grubu|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref> and Spanish.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://articulo.mercadolibre.com.mx/MLM-626063036-entre-las-sombras-wallace-hgo-_JM?quantity=1|title=Entre Las Sombras - Wallace [hgo]|website=MercadoLibre|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref>
==Reception== In its starred review, ''Kirkus Reviews'' called the novel a "first-rate, surprisingly believable thriller" and praised Wallace's "mastery" in portraying race relations in post-war Zimbabwe.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=7 April 2011|title=Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jason-wallace/out-shadows/|magazine=Kirkus Reviews|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref> ''Publishers Weekly'' gave the novel a favourable review, writing, "Racial conflict, corruption, and the cycle of abuse are conveyed with authenticity in this uncomfortable, unvarnished story."<ref name="PW">{{cite magazine|date=13 June 2011|title=Children's Book Review: Out Of Shadows by Jason Wallace|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8234-2342-2|magazine=Publishers Weekly|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref> In her review for ''The Times'', writer Amanda Craig praised the novel as "something that schools should study and readers read."<ref>{{cite news|last=Craig|first=Amanda|author-link=Amanda Craig|date=22 January 2011|title=Out of the Shadows (13+) by Jason Wallace|url=https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/out-of-the-shadows-13-by-jason-wallace-g0p3g89pvxj|url-status=live|newspaper=The Times|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200416205326/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/out-of-the-shadows-13-by-jason-wallace-g0p3g89pvxj|archive-date=16 April 2020|access-date=16 April 2020|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Writing in the ''Independent on Sunday'', Nicholas Tucker called it an "excellent" novel.<ref>{{cite news|last=Tucker|first=Nicholas|author-link=Nicholas Tucker|date=4 April 2010|title=Easter parade: A round-up of new books perfect for holiday reading|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/easter-parade-a-round-up-of-new-books-perfect-for-holiday-reading-1932456.html|url-status=live|newspaper=The Independent on Sunday|publisher=The Independent|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/easter-parade-a-round-up-of-new-books-perfect-for-holiday-reading-1932456.html|archive-date=24 May 2022|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref> Emma Lee-Potter of the ''Daily Express'' compared it to ''Lord of the Flies'' and wrote that it "could well become a children's classic."<ref>{{cite news|last=Lee-Potter|first=Emma|date=21 January 2011|title=Five winners fighting to land the top Costa Book of the Year prize|url=https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/books/224340/Five-winners-fighting-to-land-the-top-Costa-Book-of-the-Year-prize|newspaper=Daily Express|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref> Booktrust called it an "expert and disturbing examination of the meaning of morality and of the comprehensive and complex legacy of conflict and injustice."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.booktrust.org.uk/book/o/out-of-shadows/|title=Out of Shadows|website=BookTrust|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref>
In his review for ''The Guardian'', author Patrick Ness criticized the novel for its "often unsubtle and occasionally unconvincing" plot as well as the "full psychology" of Robert's journey into and out of Ivan's racist crusade for not being "as nuanced as it really needs to be." Ness nonetheless called the novel "a powerful, devastating read."<ref>{{cite news|last=Ness|first=Patrick|authorlink=Patrick Ness|date=14 January 2011|title=Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace – review|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jan/15/out-shadows-jason-wallace-review|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref>
==Awards== * 2010 Costa Book Award for Children's Book, winner<ref>{{cite news|last=Sherna|first=Noah|date=4 January 2011|title=Debut writer Jason Wallace wins Costa book award for Robert Mugabe novel|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/debut-writer-jason-wallace-wins-costa-book-award-for-robert-mugabe-novel-2175750.html|url-status=live|newspaper=The Independent|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/debut-writer-jason-wallace-wins-costa-book-award-for-robert-mugabe-novel-2175750.html|archive-date=24 May 2022|access-date=16 April 2020|url-access=limited}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Mark|date=4 January 2011|title=Edmund de Waal leads Costa book awards finalists|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jan/04/costa-book-awards|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=5 January 2011|title=Costa Book Awards 2010: the winning books|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/8239564/Costa-Book-Awards-2010-the-winning-books.html|url-status=live|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421060834/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/8239564/Costa-Book-Awards-2010-the-winning-books.html|archive-date=21 April 2013|access-date=16 April 2020|url-access=subscription}}</ref> * 2011 Branford Boase Award, winner<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Jones|first=Philip|date=7 July 2011|title=Jason Wallace wins Branford Boase|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/jason-wallace-wins-branford-boase|url-access=limited|url-status=live|magazine=The Bookseller|archive-url=https://archive.today/20221123051338/https://www.thebookseller.com/news/jason-wallace-wins-branford-boase|archive-date=23 November 2022|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref> * 2011 UKLA Book Award, winner<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ukla.org/resources/details/ukla-book-award-winners-2011|title=UKLA Book Award 2011 Winners|website=United Kingdom Literacy Association|access-date=16 April 2020|archive-date=20 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720095313/https://ukla.org/resources/details/ukla-book-award-winners-2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> * 2010 Booktrust Teenage Prize, shortlist<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foyles.co.uk/news/unhooking-the-moon-wins-booktrust-teenage-prize|title=Unhooking the Moon wins Booktrust Teenage Prize|date=2 November 2010|website=Foyles|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref> * 2011 Carnegie Medal, shortlist<ref>{{cite news|last=Pauli|first=Michelle|date=23 June 2011|title=Patrick Ness accepts Carnegie medal with fierce defence of libraries|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jun/23/patrick-ness-carnegie-medal-libraries|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=16 April 2020}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:2010 British novels Category:2010 English-language novels Category:2010 children's books Category:2010 debut novels Category:Andersen Press books Category:British children's novels Category:British historical novels Category:British young adult novels Category:Children's historical novels Category:Costa Book Award–winning works Category:Novels set in 1983 Category:Novels set in Zimbabwe Category:Novels about bullying Category:Novels about race and ethnicity Category:Novels about racism Category:Novels set in boarding schools Category:Children's books set in Zimbabwe Category:Children's books set in the 1980s Category:Children's books set in schools Category:Children's books about race and ethnicity