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writerbeverly 's review for:
The Moon Sisters
by Therese Walsh
Set in small town/rural West Virginia, sisters Olivia and Jazz Moon journey in search of a will o' the wisp, and perhaps, answers to their mother's apparent suicide.
Disclaimer #1: I received a free copy of this novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Disclaimer #2: I "know" the author, via FaceBook, and through participation in the WriterUnboxed group there, and on the WU main website.
Like a will o' the wisp, this novel is hard to pin down. There are many enchanting themes and ideas here: Olivia's synethesia, a condition in which the senses blend, so that sounds are also seen, sights are also tasted, and so on. There's the writer's journey/struggle, experienced through memories and letters left by their mother, Beth, who seemed to also be dealing with Depression and deep hurt from her own family of origin. There's disability, because Olivia has deliberately damaged her eyesight and so is legally blind, partially sighted. There's dealing with grief and self-blame in the wake of Beth's death; there's train-hopping and a bit of romance, a tattooed man and a bounty hunter, an unfinished fairy tale, a scenic tour of West Virginia and the bogs...
Much of this novel I loved. The descriptions in Olivia's voice were especially lyrical and lovely: "There was a sort of comfort to having him nearby, this green-eyed boy with a voice that curved like a hammock, that made me want to crawl right into it and lie down."
However, the pacing felt slow, despite an ostensibly ticking clock in the form of a job that Jazz had to get back to (which I never really understood her compulsion to take that particular job, at that time), and I didn't feel I KNEW Jazz as well as I knew Olivia, or even Beth, the dead mother.
There IS some sex, but not often, and it's not particularly explicit or erotic. The level of (non)detail here works well with the language and style of this novel.
The last 20% or so was much faster paced and kept me turning pages, much of it being a surprise and yet well-set up, so that the ending felt very satisfying. I love when books do that. All in all, a very GoodRead. :)
Disclaimer #1: I received a free copy of this novel via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Disclaimer #2: I "know" the author, via FaceBook, and through participation in the WriterUnboxed group there, and on the WU main website.
Like a will o' the wisp, this novel is hard to pin down. There are many enchanting themes and ideas here: Olivia's synethesia, a condition in which the senses blend, so that sounds are also seen, sights are also tasted, and so on. There's the writer's journey/struggle, experienced through memories and letters left by their mother, Beth, who seemed to also be dealing with Depression and deep hurt from her own family of origin. There's disability, because Olivia has deliberately damaged her eyesight and so is legally blind, partially sighted. There's dealing with grief and self-blame in the wake of Beth's death; there's train-hopping and a bit of romance, a tattooed man and a bounty hunter, an unfinished fairy tale, a scenic tour of West Virginia and the bogs...
Much of this novel I loved. The descriptions in Olivia's voice were especially lyrical and lovely: "There was a sort of comfort to having him nearby, this green-eyed boy with a voice that curved like a hammock, that made me want to crawl right into it and lie down."
However, the pacing felt slow, despite an ostensibly ticking clock in the form of a job that Jazz had to get back to (which I never really understood her compulsion to take that particular job, at that time), and I didn't feel I KNEW Jazz as well as I knew Olivia, or even Beth, the dead mother.
There IS some sex, but not often, and it's not particularly explicit or erotic. The level of (non)detail here works well with the language and style of this novel.
The last 20% or so was much faster paced and kept me turning pages, much of it being a surprise and yet well-set up, so that the ending felt very satisfying. I love when books do that. All in all, a very GoodRead. :)