▁away ▁a ▁few ▁years ▁before . ▁But ▁soon ▁a ▁stranger ▁arriv es ▁from ▁the ▁myster ious ▁island ▁of ▁Ed gem ere — in hab ited ▁sole ly ▁by ▁African ▁sett lers ▁and ▁black ▁refuge es ▁from ▁the ▁war ▁and ▁ri ots — who ▁int ends ▁to ▁reun ite ▁Tom ▁with ▁his ▁now - li ber ated ▁mother . ▁ ▁As ▁the ▁novel ▁ranges ▁from ▁Tom ' s ▁boy hood ▁to ▁the ▁height s ▁of ▁his ▁performing ▁career , ▁the ▁in scr utable ▁sav ant ▁is ▁buff et ed ▁by ▁opportun istic ▁teachers ▁and ▁cro oked ▁man agers , ▁crack pot ▁he al ers ▁and ▁milit ant ▁proph ets . ▁In ▁his ▁sym ph onic ▁novel , ▁J ef fer y ▁Ren ard ▁Allen ▁bl ends ▁history ▁and ▁fant ast ical ▁in vention ▁to ▁bring ▁to ▁life ▁a ▁radical ▁ci pher , ▁a ▁man ▁who ▁prof ound ly ▁changes ▁all ▁who ▁encounter ▁him .' ▁ ▁Orig ins ▁of ▁the ▁novel ▁ ▁In ▁an ▁ess ay ▁Allen ▁wrote ▁about ▁the ▁novel ▁and ▁in ▁inter views , ▁he ▁discuss es ▁how ▁he ▁began ▁writing ▁The ▁Song ▁of ▁the ▁Sh ank ▁when ▁he ▁learned ▁of ▁Thomas ▁W igg ins ▁in ▁Oliver ▁S acks ' ▁book ▁An ▁Anth rop ologist ▁on ▁Mars . ▁Allen ▁started ▁research ing ▁W igg ins ▁and ▁working ▁on ▁the ▁novel ▁while ▁he ▁was ▁a ▁fellow ▁at ▁The ▁Dor othy ▁L . ▁and ▁Lewis ▁B . ▁C ul ll man ▁Center ▁for ▁Sch ol ars ▁and ▁Writ ers ▁at ▁the ▁New ▁York ▁Public ▁Library