Summer Reading: The Almost Moon
The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
It took me a bit to get into this book, but once I got past the first gruesome chapters, I finished the rest in one day.
For years Helen Knightly has given her life to others: to her haunted mother, to her enigmatic father, to her husband and now grown children. When she finally crosses a terrible boundary, her life comes rushing in at her in a way she never could have imagined. Unfolding over the next twenty-four hours, this searing, fast-paced novel explores the complex ties between mothers and daughters, wives and lovers, the meaning of devotion, and the line between love and hate.
I found myself wanting to turn the page and read ahead just to find out what would happen. I was excited to uncover moments from Helen’s life and understand what had pushed her far past the boundaries of any rational person.
One thing I really like about Sebold’s novels is she always ties them up in nice little packages – while they are intense and gripping to read, I am always comforted with the way her stories end.
I totally recommend this book, but if you’ve never read anything by Alice Sebold before, I wouldn’t start with The Almost Moon – I’d advise you go read her books in the order I did, beginning with The Lovely Bones (escpecially because they are making a movie of it) and then reading Lucky.
Up Next: The Cleft by Doris Lessing
Comments (1)
I read the first chapter of lovely bones and was very emotionally affected by the horror of the situation. I don’t think I could pick it up again…