“The Shadow Land” by Elizabeth Kostova

Alexandra Boyd’s plane has only just arrived in Bulgaria from America where she is hoping to leave behind her painful past. When the taxi drops her off at the wrong hotel she meets an elderly couple in the taxi line and helps their struggling son with the luggage. Once safely back on her way to her accommodations Alexandra realizes she has accidentally kept one of the couple’s bags. Inside she discovers an urn containing a man’s ashes. Distraught, Alexandra is desperate to find the family and return what they are sure to be missing. As luck may have it, Alexandra’s taxi driver is just as invested in solving the mystery of who Stoyan Lazarov belongs to. The two unlikely travel companions set off on a quest to return the urn and along the way discover who Stoyan was in life and what dangers still are lurking from his past. “The Shadow Land” is a beautiful piece of historical fiction. Though the plot is a bit far fetched (young girl driving all over a foreign country to return an item she very easily could have left with the police) you make allowances because the story is that well written…and well it’s a work of fiction, far fetched is allowed. I knew nothing of Bulgaria’s history prior to reading “The Shadow Land” and Kostova does an outstanding job weaving lessons throughout the narrative. Looking forward to adding her other titles to my TBR list.

Purchase a copy of “The Shadow Land” here.