The Almost Moon

I had thoroughly enjoyed The Lovely Bones and looked forward to reading Siebold's next novel. Almost Moon was not just a disappointment, it was a monstrous mistake. Let me say at the outset that I could not finish it, and that doesn't happen often to this bibliophile. This is the second book in my life that I actually threw in the trash for fear someone would see it my library and pick it up.

There is nothing redeeming about the characters in this book. In an effort to make them complex, the author manages to make them perversely disgusting. I can handle reading about difficult subject matter and don't expect sunshine and rainbows all the time. Sebold writes about life's tragic turns adroitly in her first two books. This book, however, is just a whole lot of depressive nonsense that doesn't lead anywhere.

The main character is a washed up divorcee with a mentally ill mother. The dialogue in this book is forced. You pick up the book feeling that the mystery of this family will be revealed, but it isn't. You just learn they are bizarre.

The pacing of this book is terrible, even though other critics lauded it. The flashbacks will sometimes last a page, and sometimes last 20 pages. I felt like a ping-pong ball being bounced between the protagonist's past and present. There is no fluidity. Skip this one or wait for a deep discount.

I kept hoping that there would be some point to the story, but it never happened. Yes, the subject matter was disturbing, but that's not why I hated the book. To me, the worst offense of the book was that the characters were never well developed. With such shocking subject matter, I was searching to understand the characters but I never figured out who they were. When I ranted about the stupidity of the book to my husband after reading it, he said, "Why are you torturing me with this story now?" Save your time and money for a better book.

Oh dear, where do I start? Well, to begin with, I cannot believe the same author that wrote the awesome "The Lovely Bones" also wrote this. I mean, what the hell happened? I can't believe the publisher even accepted the manuscript for this book, it is that bad. Yes, believe all the 1-Star reviews; it really is that awful. Poorly drawn characters, bad dialogue, painfully tedious writing, this one has it all, and I don't mean that as a compliment. The plot is certainly questionable - 49-year-old Helen Knightly murders her 88-year-old, mentally ill mother, then acts as though it's just another day at the office, no big deal. The book follows the 24-hour period after Helen commits the murder, interspersing it with flashbacks about her upbringing and her mother's burgeoning mental illness. Edgy material, to be sure, and it could have been a hell of a lot better than what it is. Some of the passages are completely bizarre and unfathomable. Take this exchange between Helen and her ex-husband Jake on p. 166: "You killed her Helen, not me. There isn't an 'us' involved in this." "She was MY mother." "There's your 'us' - the two of you K-I-S-S-I-N-G." What the hell??????? Or this, from page 205: "I stared down at my knees which suddenly seemed as marbleized as my mother's skin. I saw my joints, fat sheared off at a rendering plant. Scarsdale patties made of my thighs and arms and stored in a meat freezer, waiting to be broiled or pan seared." Huh??????????? What disgusting imagery. I hope to God this novel is an aberration and Ms Sebold's writing improves out-of-sight for her next novel. It certainly needs to. Not recommended, one star only from me.

Miserable book! The characters are underdeveloped and there is nobody you care about in this book. You will be dissapointed if you read the book. If you are even tempted, move on. There is no value to be gained by reading this story of a woman who murders her mother and doesn't even seem to realize that it's a big deal. You have no compassion for her as a character and you don't realy care what happens.