In 'Shadow Tag', Louise Erdrich draws us into the unraveling world of Irene America, a woman caught between reality and deception. Irene discovers her husband Gil has been reading her diary and decides to keep two journals: a deceitful Red Diary for Gil to find, and a truthful Blue Notebook hidden in a safe-deposit box. As their home turns into a battleground of secrets and domestic unrest, Irene's descent into alcoholism shadows the couple's vicious cycle of need and manipulation. Their children - a budding genius dogged by familial chaos, a determined daughter trying to hold them together, and an innocent youngest child - are entangled in the marital turmoil. Erdrich's storytelling oscillates between the intimate diaries and a broader narrative, revealing a family's struggle for survival amidst the deceptive allure of appearances.