{"product_id":"the-shadow-king-a-novel","title":"The Shadow King: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003eA gripping novel set during Mussolinis 1935 invasion of Ethiopia  The Shadow King takes us back to the first real conflict of World War II  casting light on the women soldiers who were left out of the historical record. With the threat of Mussolinis army looming  recently orphaned Hirut struggles to adapt to her new life as a maid in Kidane and his wife Asters household. Kidane  an officer in Emperor Haile Selassies army  rushes to mobilize his strongest men before the Italians invade. His initial kindness to Hirut shifts into a flinty cruelty when she resists his advances  and Hirut finds herself tumbling into a new world of thefts and violations  of betrayals and overwhelming rage. Meanwhile  Mussolinis technologically advanced army prepares for an easy victory. Hundreds of thousands of ItaliansJewish photographer Ettore among themmarch on Ethiopia seeking adventure. As the war begins in earnest  Hirut  Aster  and the other women long to do more than care for the wounded and bury the dead. When Emperor Haile Selassie goes into exile and Ethiopia quickly loses hope  it is Hirut who offers a plan to maintain morale. She helps disguise a gentle peasant as the emperor and soon becomes his guard  inspiring other women to take up arms against the Italians. But how could she have predicted her own personal war as a prisoner of one of Italys most vicious officers  who will force her to pose before Ettores camera? What follows is a gorgeously crafted and unputdownable exploration of female power  with Hirut as the fierce  original  and brilliant voice at its heart. In incandescent  lyrical prose  Maaza Mengiste breathes life into complicated characters on both sides of the battle line  shaping a heartrending  indelible exploration of what it means to be a woman at war.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44966843613237,"sku":"ByrdShop_039308356X","price":27.3,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780393083569.jpg?v=1770583202","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-shadow-king-a-novel","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}