A literary reimagining of the scandal that shocked Victorian society - and the woman who refused to let it be forgotten.

A young bride. A murdered lover. A child left behind in silence.

In 1874, pioneering photographer Eadweard Muybridge shot and killed his wife’s lover in a case that shocked the world, and was acquitted. Soon after, his wife Flora died, and their young son disappeared into a life shaped by secrecy, abandonment and unanswered questions.

In Light and Shadow, Candida Baker reimagines the emotional legacy of this infamous story through the voice of Rosa Maria de Martinez, the imagined granddaughter of that lost child. Writing late in life, Rosa pieces together a hidden family history that stretches from Mexico to the United States and on to Australia’s Snowy Mountains.

Blending fact and fiction, this is a powerful, lyrical novel about love, betrayal, identity and the long shadow of the past. As Rosa gives voice to those history left behind, she also confronts her own inheritance of silence, shame and resilience.

For readers of literary fiction drawn to richly imagined lives, complex women, and stories where history and imagination collide.

Perfect for readers of: historical literary fiction, character-driven novels, and stories of family, identity and belonging.