The Red Moon : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: This book should be on the Bestseller¿s List!
Review: Hausley's "The Red Moon" is one of the best books I have read in a long time. If you ever wanted to know the difference between literature and fiction, you need to read this book; "The Red Moon" is literature at its finest. Hausley is an expert storyteller. Her writing is superb, lyrical and captivating. I picked this book up on a Saturday and finished it by Sunday night. Anyone who has fantasized about the African way of life will be smacked with a dose of reality. Nasarian, the main character, is strong woman, a feminist without being radical or negative.

I was surprised to learn that Hausley was not from Africa, but African-American, and that she knew very little about African culture. She was educated at the NY Performing Arts H.S. and Rutgers U and has captured Africa's landscape, its people and everyday life as if she had been born and raised there. My only criticism is that I would have liked the chapters from Nasarian's perspective and those from her father's perspective divided in some way. Other than that, I rarely say this about books but---"THIS is a great book!"

Rating:
Summary: A beautifully written sorrowful tale
Review: Kuwana's tail of Nasarian's coming of age in Kenya is beautifully written. She describes the sights, sounds and textures of East Africa wonderfully. I loved the way she depicted the culture and traditions of the people and the story itself was very engaging.

It begins with an immigrant Nasarian in Harlem, having a flashback to East Africa. From there it moves quickly through her trials and tribulations after being orphaned and moved from place to place. It then follows her through her college years and love affairs. There are many sub-plots of alcoholism, depression and identity crisis that make the story very rich and compelling.

However, this is not a light-hearted tale and is filled with death and dying, grief and regrets. I was teary-eyed quite a few times as I read it. I highly recommend it for its poignant accounts, but make sure you are in the mood for a tear-jerker.