The Brightest Moon of the Century

While looking for John Irving's new book, I stumbled on the link to C.Meeks' book and from the reviews, took a chance. It was worth the money and risk because I've found a great talent and look forward to reading his short stories.

It's hard to put it into words. For me, that is, certainly not for Christopher Meeks. I kept seeing Holden Caulfield flailing around in my mind as I read this story. Edward isn't quite the dropout that Holden was, but they do look at the world through a unique prism. I think the best part of Edward's personality is that he's so believable. He is so much like all of us, or at least we all share some characteristics with him. The trailer park episode is my favorite, but the whole book is a rewarding read. Hopefully, we can spread the word about this wonderful author. The world needs to hear about Christopher Meeks and his captivating stories.

What can I say about THE BRIGHTEST MOON OF THE CENTURY? I can say that it is an exceptional novel. The main character, Edward and I have so much in common (born around the same time, had a step-mother, was taunted in school, and dreamed of going to Hollywood), so I could relate where he was come from. Watching him grow from an awkward 14 year old to the 45 year husband and father, you can feel his transformation. Christopher Meeks separates Edward's life in stages and we experience with him the joy and pain of growing up, life in college, self-employment, tragedy and friendships. Mr. Meeks writes a terrific debut novel.

In a magical feat of literary transformation, Christopher Meeks has turned from polishing gems of short stories to displaying the physics of a soul, the chemistry of a heart in his novel, The Brightest Moon of the Century. By holding up to the light of the page the seminal moments in the life of his protagonist, from childhood to fatherhood, Meeks makes Edward Meopian vibrate with visibility, even his occluded areas of mystery. How fortunate Edward has such a recording angel as Meeks. We should all be loved so honestly.

Christopher Meeks has produced up to now two of the finest, most intelligent, entertaining, and socially sensitive collections of short stories (THE MIDDLE-AGED MAN AND THE SEA and MONTHS AND SEASONS). For those of us who have become Meeks devotees based on these short stories, the anticipation of a full-length novel has been both exciting and a bit dubious. It is an entirely different challenge to carry a character and a few ideas, well developed as they are in Meeks' hands, along a path that justifies a complete novel. But with THE BRIGHTEST MOON OF THE CENTURY Christopher Meeks has crossed that bridge so successfully that his stance in the echelon of new important American writers seems solidly secure. Meeks deals well with the everyday persons that populate this novel. His characters are all flawed and not afraid to share those flaws. And that is one reason this story of a young lad's journey from Minnesota through the South and to California spanning the years of his life from age 14 to age 45 reaches out to the reader in a way that offers an honest invitation to relive our own growing years. Meeks does not discard his unique gift of crafting short stories: each chapter in this novel is framed by a time span and a special growing adventure in a way that at times the reader may wonder if each chapter could stand alone. But that is where Meeks so deftly shows his craft. He sorts through his bag of ideas, dropping a few here and there only to be picked up and transformed later in the book like old memories that come to blossom or gain meaning as life goes on. Edward Meopian manages to cope with the loss of his mother, survives the changes that his encyclopedia salesman father imposes on him, an manages to leave home for private boys school where he gains some wisdom, some tolerance for the actions of his peers, some knowledge about his inappropriate preparation for puberty and love, fights his way through college discovering he has no talent for the `preferred discipline' of science, that he loves films, and discovers passion in a relationship that pushes the button to accelerate his maturity. Things happen and things don't happen (Meeks has a way of adjusting his characters dreams and expectations with a sense of acknowledging personal flaws and humble talents). And as Edward's father re-marries, Edward gains possession of a mini-mart and trailer park in Alabama which he rules with his longtime pot smoking friend Sagebrush, all the while finding the idiosyncrasies of several women's wiles (avoiding the advances of under aged oversexed girls and the vitriol of a matronly trailer park manager). Shaky `failures' at marriage and screenwriting/directing dreams lead Edward through life changes that eventually result in his finding a touch of peace as a teacher in an arts school. Characters from his past weave through his present and the final touches of his life feel whole - sort of... For lovers of Meeks' short stories there are chapte