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29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
When All Is Said and Done, 21 Oct 2007
"When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily" -Helen
There you have it. The first sentence of the book gives us the premise and summarizes the story. This is a book that is difficult to like, difficult to read from cover to cover, but at the same time as a lover of mysteries I had to find out. The 'who done it' was upfront, the 'why' was to be discovered. Insanity can take many guises and in this family dysfunctional is secondary to insanity. The entire family seems distorted and out of sync. It is as Helen's mother has stated - there are them and there is us. The 'normal' and the 'fucked up' and we know from page one where the family stands.
After the killing, the cleaning and wrapping of the body, Helen begins to tell us the story of her life. A mother who was always difficult, who would not even go to the rescue of a young boy hit by car outside her home. A daughter who could never ever do anything right in her mother's eyes. A father who was held hostage by some unseen behaviors by her mother and who only escaped through suicide. When all is done, Helen visits her friend and finding she is not at home, visits with her son. After killing your mother, emotions are high as you might expect and not held in check. Some may say the inevitable occurs. It is strange to find humor in a story of murder and deceit. But it is here, subtle but humor does emerge. The issues surrounding this family makes it pretty clear that no one will escape whole, but why not? What was the grip that kept this family so tightly held? Is it the thread of insanity that runs throughout the years?
The title of the book 'The Almost Moon' is revealing. Helen's dad gave the inside scoop. "The moon is whole all the time, but we can't always see it. What we see is an almost moon or a not-quite moon. We plan our lives based on its rhythms and tides." Is a mother the sum of all our existence?
Recommended. prisrob 10-21-07
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Sadly, very disappointing, 7 April 2008
I bought this book after absolutely loving 'The Lovely Bones'. The opening page, which I read in the bookshop, had me gripped and I had high hopes for it: I couldn't wait to start it. Sadly, I have to say it is one of the most awful books I've ever encountered. It was difficult to read, not because of any flamboyant language, but because it was so 'lumpy', with no natural flow. I found it impossible to relate to any of the characters or the circumstances they found themselves in. I detest giving up on a book but had to really force myself to finish this. It was a chore, a nasty one at that, from page 2 until the end. For me, this book is more like a first-time attempt from a particularly inept author. I do wonder what Ms Sebold was trying to say with this book, what feelings she was experiencing to produce a novel such as this. Perhaps with this insight, I may have understood the story and its purpose a bit more. As it is, I just feel let down.
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10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Far from The Lovely Bones, 1 Dec 2007
"When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily". So begins Alice Sebold's latest novel, "Almost Moon". Helen Knightly is a divorcee, whose elderly mother is suffering from dementia and who is abusive and unpleasant to be around. Her mother is clearly mad - but it turns out she has been so her entire life, it's just the medical terminology that has changed. Helen is at breaking point: she suffocates her mother, dumps her in the freezer and goes off to sleep with her best friend's son.
I enjoyed "The Lovely Bones" and looked forward to reading this book, but I disliked it so much that it was a struggle to finish it. I intensely disliked Helen - I thought she was unbelievably self-centered and I hated the choices that she made. I think it was Sebold's intention for us to dislike Helen but at the same time to understand why she did the things she did (and so we learn about her extremely dysfunctional childhood and failed marriage). Which is fine, and we do grow to understand her, but it doesn't make for enjoyable reading.
Sebold came up with a good premise for a novel - and a great first line - but ultimately she fails to deliver. This is an unpleasant book and I cannot recommend it. If you liked "Lovely Bones" - avoid this.
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