The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane
In her new book, The Half Moon, Keane explores midlife, forgiveness, small-town living, and family through the lens of figuring out what dreams are most important to you and figuring out which dreams you've held onto for too long.
Malcolm, a charismatic bartender, fulfills his dream of owning a bar following his boss's retirement. However, the Half Moon struggles, and he continuously grapples with keeping it afloat. Meanwhile, his wife Jess, a successful lawyer, is slowly coming to terms with the possibility of not having children. Set over one week, bookended by two separate winter storms that hit the area hard, and fully exploring the characters with organically crafted flashbacks, The Half Moon delves into the disappointments and unexpected consolations of life.
Despite the page-turning aspect of the writing style, Keane takes her time with this one — the pace matches the anticipation and agonizing wait of the impending storms, which are followed by the havoc that a destructive storm can bring — and the interwoven flashbacks and reflections allow the characters to be fully realized and fleshed out. I appreciated the interplay between the overwhelming quiet stillness of the outside world after the first storm hits and the chaotic discontent of Malcolm's worried mind as his thoughts jump from the myriad problems with the bar, the disappearance of a local man, and his potentially dissolving marriage. He has so much on his mind, and each one demands his attention, pulling him in several directions at once. This makes it both difficult to focus on the trouble in his marriage and easy to ignore it and procrastinate really delving into where his part in it lies. The upcoming second storm, promising just as many problems, looms over the town, forcing them finally into some kind of action.
Overall, The Half Moon is a captivating and well-crafted read that successfully explores the complexities of life and the difficulties of navigating unexpected challenges. I particularly enjoyed the aspect of having to come to terms with letting go or reshaping some of your dreams and goals for yourself. Life doesn't always work out the way we'd like, or leave room for everyone to have a single-minded dream come true. But showing that we can still find fulfillment and happiness in a future where the focus has shifted is such an important facet to explore. Keane's attention to detail and the fully realized characters make this a book that readers will find hard to put down.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.
