Alice Hoffman

Turtle Moon

Sarah Sammis

There is something about Florida that inspires a subset of American literature that is both tragic and comedic in the same breath. It's probably the closest that American literature comes to magical realism.

Turtle Moon by Alice Hoffman is a perfect example of a Floridian novel. It is set in the month of May when "girls run away from home, babies cry all night, [and] ficus hedges explode into flame." (p. 3). Set against the oppressive heat and humidity of May in Verity, Florida, Bethany Lee is murdered and the "meanest boy in Verity", a twelve-year-old named Keith becomes the reluctant ward of Bethany's infant daughter. Meanwhile, Keith's mother and an unofficial tracker for the police forge an alliance to clear Keith's name and to find the actual killer.

If this were a thriller there would be car chases, bullets flying in every chapter and villains constantly lurking Yes, there is danger but mostly there is just the heat and the frazzled nerves. Keith and baby Rachel find safety at the home of a woman who knows a thing or two about wayward children.

Although the ending isn't a happy one with all loose strings neatly tied up, it's a satisfying ending. Things work out and unfold in ways, some of which are expected and some which aren't but all of which seem to fit just right.

Marisel 

A “captivating...truly original novel” (Cosmopolitan) from the New York Times bestselling author of The Rules of Magic. “Ms. Hoffman writes quite wonderfully about the magic in our lives and in the battered, indifferent world.”—The New York Times Book Review When Keith Rosen runs away from his Florida home—inexplicably taking along a motherless baby—his mother is perplexed, terrified, and ultimately takes off on her own journey to find him. The story of a divorced woman, her disillusioned teenage son, and the events that change their lives in ways both simple and extraordinary, Turtle Moon follows their path, in a suspenseful, beautifully written story that confirms once again the exquisite talent of Alice Hoffman.

Turtle Moon

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