This is a well-written story about interesting characters on a literal and metaphorical journey. Two sisters are grieving in very different ways after their mother's sudden and tragic death. Jazz is the realist who wants to move on with her life, accepting the harsh truth that her mother was deeply unhappy and probably committed suicide. Olivia is the dreamer whose intense feelings and alternative view of the world lead her to suppose that there were accidental circumstances contributing to her mother's passing. The girls clash because they cannot understand or tolerate each other's reactions. This sets up the conflict for an unpredictable and intriguing tale.I especially enjoyed the author's portrayal of Olivia, with her sinesthesia and damaged eyes. Terese Walsh did her research well and her writing from the point of view of this unusual character is colourful and evocative. The element of the supernatural, which may or may not have been a hallucination, added an extra layer to the story in that it pointed to the fact that different people live in and experience different realities.The setting of the book, West Virginia, is completely foreign to me, and so the parts of the book relating to bogs, train hoppers and small towns was an eye-opener. If there was anything I would have enjoyed more of it was learning more about the world beyond the limits of this run-down backwater — the opportunities awaiting Olivia and Jazz if they chose to break free of their parents' small existence. This one really surprised me. Walsh tells the story of two odd-couple sisters struggling to deal with their mother's death. Olivia, the dreamy synesthete who's world is awash with sounds that have taste and tastes that have color, is determined to make the trip to the forest where her mother's unfinished story was set, despite the fact that she's recently blinded herself. Her ever practical sister Jazz, feels duty-bound to protect her sister from herself and stop this ridiculous trip.At first, the sisters were so different and so distasteful that I almost gave up, but nothing is exactly as it seems, and as the story of their mother's life and death unravels as Olivia doggedly continues on her journey, they gradually both become sympathetic characters. The story is told by the two sisters in alternating chapters, which was infuriating in the beginning because their worldviews are so different that it was difficult to believe that they were even telling the same story, but as it went on, it was wonderful how their different perspectives gave you a more complete picture since neither was a completely reliable narrator. Olivia's vivid descriptions often left out important, but sensually insignificant details, while Jazz was so single-mindedly practical, you missed out on the scenery. Also, I think if anyone but the sisters told the story it would have been impossible to fully understand either's motivation as they were both pretty terrible at outwardly expressing what they were really feeling.This was also one of those rare books where I had no idea how the story was going to turn out. I really wasn't sure if it was going to be a tragedy of how the girls' family falls apart or pulls itself together, which meant I also had no idea how it was going to get where it was going. At first I thought it was going to be a relatively straight forward story of Jazz grudgingly taking Olivia to Cranberry Glades to get some closure after their mother's death, but there were so many diversions thrown in their path that I quickly realized this was one of those stories where the unpredictable journey was the real story, the destination incidental, and that any revelations would come where they were least expected. In short, it wasn't what I expected, and that's what I loved best about it.I read this for a book club that called this YA, even though it is not at all marketed that way and the sisters, at 18 and 22, are a little old for a typical YA audience. The coming-of-age aspect would sort of fit in New Adult, but the romance in this story is more incidental than in most New Adult books, so really this is just a coming-of-age story for adults that emphasizes the strong bond of even very different sisters and the difficulty of losing a parent, especially at a young age.Something a little different and well told.
What do You think about Moon Sisters (2014)?
absolutely loved it! through tears at the end, didn't want it to end, wanted it to go on forever!
—Reese
I enjoyed this. Subtle and beautiful.
—RoseCrowley
