Mad Shadows (novel)

Mad Shadows (French: La Belle Bête) is a French-Canadian novel by Marie-Claire Blais, published in 1959. Writing the work at the age of twenty, the novel was Blais's first major literary work. It quickly established her as a rising talent within the Quebec literary scene.

Mad Shadows explores the psychology of a single family: Patrice, the beautiful and narcissistic son; his ugly and malicious sister, Isabelle-Marie; and Louise, their vain and uncomprehending mother. Repeatedly, the novel posits an amoral world where beauty stands hollow and love rings empty.