The Girl Who Chased the Moon

Southern mystical realism with barbeque and cake - what's not to like? This is a really sweet novel about Emily, a teenager who comes to live with the grandfather she didn't know she had - who's a giant - in the small town her mother left in shame 20 years earlier. There she finds a room where the wallpaper changes to reflect her mood, and plenty of secrets - plenty.

Emily also meets some really nice people who have issues with their own pasts, including Julia and Sawyer. She also is drawn to Win Coffey, with whom she shares a past of which she is unaware, but who also is hiding a secret of his own.

The characters in this novel are all pretty likeable, even those who have made mistakes and kept secrets. I like that there is a lot of gray area - people are made up of good and bad elements, as regular people are. I also like that there is some obvious struggles to resolve issues and mysteries - nothing is handed to the reader all neatly tied up with string. There is a definite arc to the story, a getting to the end, which I enjoyed.

I also enjoy that the author ends the novel with a germ of a new novel - that's always fun.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon: A Novel