Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and @BookClubFavorites & Scriber #partner, for the advanced copy of The Half Moon in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Scribner / Simon & Schuster ALC
Published: May 2, 2023
Summary:
From the bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes, a masterful novel about a couple in a small town who must navigate the complexities of marriage, family, and longing.
Malcolm Gephardt, handsome and gregarious longtime bartender at the Half Moon, has always dreamed of owning a bar. When his boss finally retires, Malcolm stretches to buy the place. He sees unquantifiable magic and potential in the Half Moon and hopes to transform it into a bigger success, but struggles to stay afloat.
His smart and confident wife, Jess, has devoted herself to her law career. After years of trying for a baby, she is facing the idea that motherhood may not be in the cards for her. Like Malcolm, she feels her youth beginning to slip away and wonders how to reshape her future.
Award-winning author Mary Beth Keane’s new novel takes place over the course of one week when Malcolm learns shocking news about Jess, a patron of the bar goes missing, and a blizzard hits the town of Gillam, trapping everyone in place. With a deft eye and generous spirit, Keane explores the disappointments and unexpected consolations of midlife, the many forms forgiveness can take, the complicated intimacy of small-town living, and what it means to be a family.
My thoughts:
I read, and absolutely loved, Mary Beth Keane’s last book Ask Again, Yes and so when I saw she had a new book coming out, I knew I had to read it…and once again, I absolutely loved it…possibly even more. I think I loved it because I saw so much of myself in this book, so much of what I went through in this book, so this review is going to be a bit of a departure for me in that I am going to be a bit vulnerable here.
This book once again takes a look at a struggling marriage, this time due to infertility and the toll that it takes. Speaking first-hand I know only too well the devastation, both emotionally, physically and financially that road leads and so I love to see how authors tackle this topic and I can say without a doubt that Mary Beth Keane nailed it both from the female perspective as well as the male perspective. It’s hard, it’s frustrating, and of course you are going to wonder what if? What if you had taken different roads? What if you had made different decisions?
This book looks at the small fissures that lead to bigger cracks within a marriage all in the course of one week, through flashbacks and the present time. We are allowed an intimate look into this marriage and while there isn’t a big aha moment, it carves little slices into their lives that give you pause to take stock of your own relationship.
I loved this book so much – it is without a doubt going to be a favorite of the year. I was able to genuinely connect with these characters, and that to me, even though it’s been years since I went through all this, is almost like therapy. I love seeing these types of storylines and I think it’s great that more people are open about their infertility journeys.
But what I loved even more is that this book shows just how complicated marriage can be and that there may be big and little bumps in the road but that doesn’t mean it’s not meant to be. And that’s why I am sharing this book today, on my anniversary. We’ve been married fourteen years now and it hasn’t always been easy. Things didn’t go the way we though they would, but through it all, there is no one I would rather have by my side.
“Life is really simple when you boil it down….[We love each other.]”
Audio thoughts:
I thought the audio of this one was just amazing. I thought having two narrators, a male and female, was the perfect decision. I found myself completely engaged in this one.
