Dark Shadows: In the Press 5: Here Come the Reviews...

Check out the latest reviews of Dark Shadows in the international media! The book has recently been reviewed by two renowned historians, Peter Frankopan and Alexander Morrison, both of Oxford University. 

Dark Shadows meets The Silk Roads - Joanna Lillis meets Peter Frankopan in Oxford in November 2018

Writing in The Spectator, Peter Frankopan described Dark Shadowsas “astute, refreshing and revelatory”, and also “surprisingly tender, showing not only [Lillis’s] affection but her care in trying to make sense of a country that needs to be understood warts and all”. 

“She introduces a cast of characters one could not make up, from an Old Believer living in the north of the country to a militant atheist, whose grim convictions are not entirely appealing,” he continues. “We meet those suffering from the effects of Soviet-era nuclear experiments and children infected with HIV in a blood scandal, whose dignity in the face of injustice and tragedy is particularly moving. We come across Mukhtar Ablyazov, a tycoon who plundered billions before going on the run — one step better than his former business partner, whose death in a wolf-hunting accident was described by American diplomats in cables released by WikiLeaks as ‘almost incomprehensible’. Dark shadows indeed.”

“It is not easy to look beneath the surface and make sense of a country of such contrasts and complexities, especially one that is in transition,” Frankopan concludes. “You don’t need a book about Kazakhstan to realise that the world is changing; but reading Dark Shadows is a great place to start for anyone wanting to see how and why Central Asia matters in the 21st century.”

Joanna Lillis in conversation with Alexander Morrison and Sofya Omarova at the University of Oxford, November 2018.

Writing on the US-based website Eurasianet, where Joanna Lillis is a long-time contributing journalist, Alexander Morrison found Dark Shadows to be“the first serious book about the country for an English-speaking general audience, and it is both welcome and long overdue”.

“As the title suggests, much of the book concentrates on the dark side of Kazakhstani life and politics: The book opens with a description of the growing cult of personality surrounding Nazarbayev, and the crimes of his revolting son-in-law Rakhat Aliyev,” writes Morrison. “Lillis provides razor-edged accounts of the murder of Altynbek Sarsenbayev, the corruption and flight of Mukhtar Ablyazov, and the massacre of oil-workers at Zhanaozen. She is brilliant on the struggles of independent media to retain a voice in Kazakhstan, and on the ways in which elections are manipulated to secure Nazarbayev’s power. She provides heart-breaking accounts of the terrible consequences of Soviet nuclear tests and the Aral Sea disaster for the health of people living in these regions.”

“But this is not a gloomy book,” the historian concludes. “Shining through is Lillis’s deep affection for the country she has made her home. She writes about the people she meets, the landscapes she visits and the events she witnesses without the sensationalism and patronizing sentimentality characterizing so much western journalism about Central Asia.

talkRadio recently interviewed Lillis (in English) about Dark Shadows, which presenter Paul Ross described as a “jaw-droppingly good” book that is both “informative” and “heart-breaking”– so if you haven’t got your copy, buy it now! Tune in to the interview at this link– make sure you access the 26^thFebruary show, click on the 0300-0330 slot and the interview is 14 minutes in.

Fergana News also ran an interview with Lillis (in Russian) about Dark Shadows, which you can read here.

To hear more about Dark Shadows, tune in to the Russian Roulette podcast to hear the author discussing (in English) the book with Jeffrey Mankoff of the Center for on the Russian Roulette podcast at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. And for an in-depth discussion of Kazakhstan’s traumatic and turbulent history, as featured in Dark Shadows, tune in to a special feature length episode of the Explaining History podcast here, where the author discusses with presenter Nick Shepley the country’s experience of communism, free market capitalism, famine and cultural suppression of the Kazakhs, as well as what the future holds for the oil-rich former Soviet republic.