Seventy seconds. That is the length of time Elihu “Eli” Hoopes is able to maintain a memory. The majority of his short-term memory is permanently damaged as the result of a devastating illness. He is the man without a shadow. This latest novel from iconic author Joyce Carol Oates has many different identities. It’s a story about neuroscience and the capacity and limits of memory, but it’s also a psychological suspense disguised as a bizarre romance.

In 1965, a young neuroscientist named Margot Sharpe is working under her mentor, and their case study is Eli Hoopes. The E. H. study will become infamous for establishing the most well-known examination of an amnesiac that the world of neuroscience has ever seen. At the age of 37, Eli suffered an injury to his brain as the result of a serious illness that wiped out nearly all of his memory. It also has eliminated any trace of who he is or once was. In essence, he is a man without a shadow. The bout with herpes simplex encephalitis has cost him nearly everything. Thankfully, he is not cognizant enough to realize any of this.

"What Oates has put together is a wonder to behold. There is literally something here for everyone.... THE MAN WITHOUT A SHADOW will satisfy in many ways and should continue Oates' stellar career of award-winning fiction."

The most alarming thing of all is what Eli continues to show through his artwork: the depiction of a young woman below the surface of a shallow stream, an apparent drowning victim. No matter how Margot tries, she is unable to get the complete picture as to what this represents. However, piece by piece, clues are released from deep within Eli's psyche that eventually may open the door to the deadly mystery that is housed there.

This would be more than enough to fill the pages of a psychological thriller. Oates, however, has other ideas. She throws into the mix a burgeoning romance of the most bizarre fashion. Margot, who has dedicated most of her life to the study of her E. H., is falling for him. This is easily kept secret as Eli gets to meet Margot anew each day they are together. If Margot's colleagues or Eli's family got wind of their supposed relationship, it would not go over well as most would see it as a clear case of Margot overstepping professional and personal boundaries.

What Oates has put together is a wonder to behold. There is literally something here for everyone. I personally enjoyed the psychological suspense created over the image of the dead girl and seeing Eli's memory slowly get unlocked and point towards an event in his youth that took place on Lake George in upstate New York. THE MAN WITHOUT A SHADOW will satisfy in many ways and should continue Oates' stellar career of award-winning fiction.