Turtle Moon

I first read this novel when it was published in 1992 and have reread it periodically. It never fails to cast its spell. Hoffman is a writer of great subtlety. It is easy to gobble up her books but, if you do, you miss much of their charm. The clarity of her prose and her talent for hovering on the edge of the magical is so perfectly balanced that you find yourself taking the most impossible occurrences for granted. I love Hoffman's men. She has a delicious way of creating very tough, almost brutal men who are, none the less, irresistible. In Julian Cash she has created the most tantalizing character so far. He, and Stephen of "Second Nature" remain my favorite Hoffman men. Julian is a haunted man with a bit of a chip on his shoulder who only needs the right sort of woman.... and Lucy proves to be that woman. I am not a fan of "romance" in the contemporary sense of the word. But this is classic romance. Julian reminded me for some bizarre reason of Mr. Rochester in "Jane Eyre" --- gruff and impossible and just dying to be loved. Now, that's a compelling hero!

From the first lines of this novel, you know that you are in good hands--the hands, the eyes, the soul of a poet. Alice Hoffman is a master storyteller, her language sumptuous, her stories captivating, her messages clear and vital, if not always happily-ever-after.Turtle Moon is about the dead coming to life. We discover one character after another--Julian, Keith, Lucy, Arrow--to be among the walking dead, shut out, by their own design, from all that is rich and true in life. Dead man, dead boy, dead woman, dead dog walking.In the course of this novel, all receive new opportunities, and all--however reluctantly--return to the world of the living, the feeling, the loving, the trusting.As with most Hoffman works, there are attention-getting subplots, touches of mystery, flourishes of magical realism, the occasional symbol--perfectly poised, subtle yet clear--and vivid description to spare.Hoffman writes to celebrate the miracles, the madnesses, the daily sorrows, the tentative victories that come with being alive. Living, she insists, is always better than going through the motions.Turtle Moon has everything--even a ghost living in a tree--waiting for, well, just waiting. This is Hoffman at the height of her powers.

TURTLE MOON is all a mystery should be. It is scary, seductive, sensual, complex, and logical. Furthermore, it has a supernatural element. I found TURTLE MOON totally enjoyable, although I wished at times the narrator would have slowed her pace.

I don't know how I missed this book in 1992--I must have been living under a rock!!! I highly recommend it.This story takes place in Verity , Florida, where more divorced women live than in any other town in Florida. Verity itself is one of the characters, it seems: hot, sultry, sweat-soaked. Hoffman's descriptions make you feel the unrelenting heat, see the ripples of heated air, and hear the insects buzzing lazily in the humid air. There are many wounded souls in Verity, among them Bethany Lee, on the run, with her baby girl, from a custody battle; Lucy Rosen and her 12-year-old son Keith (referred to throughout the book as the meanest boy in Verity), who seems to hate everyone and everything; Julian Cash, the unusual police officer who has become a self-styled expert at finding/tracking people with the aid of his two dogs; and the Angel, Julian's cousin, a ghost who lives near a tree in front of the Burger King.I love Hoffman's unique vision and her descriptions. One should not read her books looking for solid reality/realism. Nor should her books be read by those looking for a hyped-up story. She lets her characters' actions speak for them in a way that allows the reader to feel their pain and anguish---and their hope. We see the light within each character.As always, Hoffman mixes realism with fantasy "...he cried so hard that when he finished there was a pile of tiny pebbles at his feet". Or "The air all around the town limits is so thick that sometimes a soul cannot rise and instead attaches itself to a stranger, landing right between the shoulder blades with a thud that carries no more weight than a hummingbird." I loved this---Lucy's thoughts regarding her son: "There is, after all, strong brown soap for poison ivy, iodine for cuts and bruises, mud for bee stings, honey for sore throats, chalky white casts for broken bones. But where is the cure for meanness of spirit?" A memorable book!

It would appear that I have arrived late at the party since Turtle Moon is only the third book I've read by Alice Hoffman. And while Practical Magic will most likely always remain my favorite, Turtle Moon, will be a close second. Once again as she does in her other books Alice Hoffman presents her readers with wonderful characters who remain with one long after they close the book. In Turtle Moon, she also describes a place both geographically and spiritually so that if we were set down there tomorrow, we would know our way around.Verity, Florida is the place where more divorced women come to from New York when they leave their husbands. Some come with children who are difficult like Lucy Rosen, while others like Bethany run away on the spur of the moment to leave abusive husbands. Some work at jobs while others hide out with their small children and pawn jewelry for extra cash. And some dread going home to confront their children or to learn that their child has once again been suspended from school. And in this quiet town lives Julian Cash, a policeman with a difficult dog and a difficult past which continues to haunt him. And as if the month of May isn't difficult enough for the residents of this town as sea turtles begin their migration across the streets of Verity, a young woman is found murdered, her baby missing along with Lucy's son who is the worst boy in Verity. Now its up to Julian and Lucy to join together and to find him and the truth out about the murder. And we as readers are like spiders in a web as we move along with the plot, setting and characters of this first rate novel.Hoffman, as usual has filled her book wth many mystical occurrences and images. She has also filled the pages with themes present in some of her other books. In this case, themes such as relationships between spouses, parents and children, guilt for survivng a tragedy and moving on with one's life despite disappointments. Most of all I see this book as a testimony ultimately to running towards and dealing with ones problems. And as in the past books I've read Hoffman fills her pages with a cast of the most endearing characters. From Lucy and her ex-husband to her Aunt and Uncle, from Julian to his cousin, Ghost, from Bethany to her slimy husband, these are people who will live and breath for you within these pages.And eventhough I may have been a late arrival, I am now a happy Alice Hoffman fan looking forward to catching up on her older titles as well as her newest book The River King.