Turtle Moon

TEST

Have you ever read something and suddenly realized that it is the book you’ve been waiting for your entire life? That’s what Turtle Moon is to me. Naturally, I think everyone should read it, but especially people who like Christy Yorke’s work. Alice Hoffman has been doing “magical realism” longer, and I believe she’s the master.

The story begins with Lucy Rosen and her son Keith who have just moved to Verity Florida following Lucy’s divorce. They live in an apartment complex full of divorced women. Keith, never a happy child, has become unmanageable. One night he decides to take off for New York where his father lives. In the laundry room, he finds a baby girl alone. Through her baby monitor, he hears a woman scream. Confused and afraid, he grabs the baby and takes off.

Baby Rachel’s mother, Karen, is found dead the next day. Julian Cash is a cop assigned to the case and to find Keith and Rachel. Lucy decides to take matters into her own hands and see what she can find out about Karen. Julian, in typical loner cop style tries to thwart her efforts to get involved in the case, but his sympathy and attraction to her get the best of him.

Romance is not the main focus of Turtle Moon, but it does play an important role. Falling in love in Hoffman’s universe is not a pleasant walk down a sunny path; it is instead a quick drop off a cliff. The author captures the all-consuming lunacy that comes with new passion.

Julian and Lucy do not start out as adversaries exactly, but it’s not warm either. If you like your heroes dark and tortured, as I do, Julian will ring your bell. Lucy is the rare character that defies one word descriptions (wimp, saint, ditz…). She’s someone you could imagine knowing in real life. All the characters grow and change throughout the book but no one receives a complete personality transplant.

Besides Lucy, Julian and Keith’s story there are several subplots, including Karen’s story and a sweet romance between a ghost and a teenage girl. The writing is exquisite. Lyrical, subtle and not one word wasted. It ‘s like walking through the Smithsonian. Just when you’ve admired one sentence the next one comes and it’s even better. Plot devices so easy to mess up, children and angels are lovely and touching, never cutesy or silly

Turtle Moon defines the word “keeper” for me. I recommend it to all my friends, I’ve lost a few copies this way. When I close the book, I’m a little sad and a lot satisfied. It doesn’t get much better than that.

 

Buy it at A/iB/BN/K

Reviewed by Christine Peterson

Grade: A

Book Type: Fiction

Sensuality: Subtle

Review Date: 03/01/01

Publication Date: 1993

Recent Comments …

  1. excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.

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