Moonstone

Moonstone The Boy Who Never Was: A Novel

Sjón2016
The mind-bending miniature historical epic is Sjón's specialty, and Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was is no exception. But it is also Sjón's most realistic, accessible, and heartfelt work yet. It is the story of a young man on the fringes of a society that is itself at the fringes of the world--at what seems like history's most tumultuous, perhaps ultimate moment. Máni Steinn is queer in a society in which the idea of homosexuality is beyond the furthest extreme. His city, Reykjavik in 1918, is homogeneous and isolated and seems entirely defenseless against the Spanish flu, which has already torn through Europe, Asia, and North America and is now lapping up on Iceland's shores. And if the flu doesn't do it, there's always the threat that war will spread all the way north. And yet the outside world has also brought Icelanders cinema! And there's nothing like a dark, silent room with a film from Europe flickering on the screen to help you escape from the overwhelming threats--and adventures--of the night, to transport you, to make you feel like everything is going to be all right. For Máni Steinn, the question is whether, at Reykjavik's darkest hour, he should retreat all the way into this imaginary world, or if he should engage with the society that has so soundly rejected him.
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Vladimir@vkosmosa
5 stars
May 7, 2023
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Hellboy TCR@hellboytcr009
4 stars
Oct 18, 2022
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Alawander Bouston @vonnebeergut
3.5 stars
Apr 28, 2024
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Jacob Reader@logladyland
2.5 stars
Jul 29, 2023
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Lindy@lindyb
3 stars
Apr 2, 2024
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Peter S@lange
4 stars
Apr 26, 2023
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Peter S@lange
4 stars
Nov 11, 2022
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Roz@irasobrietate
4 stars
Mar 27, 2022
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Elena@elle_bi
3 stars
Mar 10, 2022
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James Haliburton@jdhberlin
4 stars
Jan 11, 2022
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Jessie Bertram@jessiebertram
4 stars
Dec 23, 2021
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Trevor Berrett@mookse
4 stars
Nov 10, 2021
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Tea@booksandtea997
3 stars
Oct 30, 2021
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Amy Buckle@amysbookshelf
4 stars
Aug 27, 2021

Highlights

Photo of Alawander Bouston
Alawander Bouston @vonnebeergut