Envious Moon

Absolutely gorgeously written. I truly believed in the couple's romance and Anthony's obsession. The novel was very fast paced and made you want to keep reading. I wanted to find out what Anthony was going to do next to get back to Hannah. The author masterfully makes you feel for the two and makes you root for them until the very end. Even better, the two aren't perfect. The girl didn't have gigantic boobs and he isn't drop dead handsome.... they are just normal. Believable, with believable problems. Best love story and suspense novel I've read in a LONG time.

Last night I discussed Envious Moon with my book group and the author, Christopher Greene, who had offered to call in and participate. We discovered that the book had hooked us all. It was not just that it was an enjoyable book to read, but it worked on multiple levels, with surprising depth and intriguing characters, so there was much to talk about - a very good choice for a book club.

I just recently finished this book and can't stop thinking about it. It is a love story seen through the eyes of a young man who is obsessed with someone he just met. It was a quick read and kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. The author does a great job describing the what life is like in small fishing town and the contrast of life for the wealthy. I had the great oportunity to talk with the author, Thomas Christopher Greene, in my book group and he is as interesting as his book and had many more projects planned for the future! I highly recommend this book!

Thomas Christopher Greene's third novel is an impressive and compelling page-turner. One of Greene's several strengths is his conveyance of setting. Envious Moon offers a change of scenery in this regard, as he has moved the setting from the mountains of Vermont, which featured so prominently and convincingly in his first two works, to the coast of Rhode Island for Envious Moon. Greene demonstrates a similar adeptness with the new setting, which is instantly believable and quickly draws the reader into the emotionally challenging world of the two main characters. Another of Greene's great strengths is the skill with which he creates emotional tension between his characters, and in this he exceeds his previous achievements. Without wanting to give away too many details, I found most impressive Greene's handling of the characters' range of emotional states, from innocence to lustful romance, and onward towards much darker and challenging truths. This emotional journey is at the root of the success of Envious Moon, and indeed is what makes Greene's most recent effort such an impressive page-turner. Greene has taken a few plot elements from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, as one might guess from his title. However, the author rightfully feels no obligation to follow closely that famous plot; rather the uses certain plot elements as seeds to send the story in quite unexpected directions. Again, I don't mean to be too vague here, but also don't want to give away essential details of the work. Suffice it to say that, in part, as I considered the connections with Shakespeare's famous work (and I mean as a compliment the fact that I have spent a good deal of time contemplating this novel) it occurred to me that this is a very modern and American take on that love story. Green's work is one that deals with the challenging emotional realities of two complex characters; however, on a larger scale the author addresses in a very immediate and challenging way the often disturbing questions of identity and self-determination, resonant themes which place this fine novel as a very contemporary and distinctly American work of fiction. Greene's Envious Moon is a thoughtful, sometimes disturbing, always compelling read. Highly recommended.

In Galilee, Rhode Island, seventeen-year-old Anthony Lopes lives with his widowed mother. He plans to work at sea like his deceased father, a fisherman, did. However, he and his best friend Victor decide to break into the affluent home of a recently deceased woman where they will rob anything of value. However, during the theft, Anthony notices a shadow of a female at the top of nearby steps. He feels frozen in place, as all he can manage is staring at the female shadow. Meanwhile her father jumps Anthony. In the scuffle, the older man falls down the steps to his death. Anthony is stunned as he never meant to harm anyone. Filled with guilt, he desperately needs the female silhouette to pardon his sin. He stalks this Hannah Forbes with his obsession for her to give him total absolution so that he can then declare his love for her. However, he maneuvers meeting Hannah and they share deep feelings although he hides what he caused from her until the police arrest him for murdering her father. ENVIOUS MOON is a deep character driven suspense thriller that focuses on the destructiveness of obsessions. The story line is fast-paced and filled with plausible twists including a stunner at the end. Anthony is a fascinating intelligent individual who believes his love for the silhouette can overcome anything. Readers will appreciate Thomas Christopher Greene's taut tale as the lead protagonist goes about proving his basic assertion regardless of the cost to others. Harriet Klausner