The Almost Moon

Listeners might be more easily absorbed into this brief lyrical novel were they not told in its opening sentences that the story's narrator has just suffocated her rapidly deteriorating mother. From that point on, the story is told as a flashback involving an only child, a mentally ill mother, and a father who finally succeeds at suicide. Flashback requires reflection. Despite Joan Allen's more than adequate rendering, audio by nature pushes ahead, not leaving a lot of space between the words. Repetition and slight variation, two of Sebold's strong points on the page, become petty annoyances. New-age musical interludes between chapters are out of place with the tone of the novel. In this case, Sebold's excellent writing has to be read on the page to be fully appreciated. R.R. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08]

It's a stunning and gripping story that I would rate as one of the best novels of 2007.. It's bizarre that some reviewers complain that the bok is emotionally incoherent or that Helen's actions make no sense. The whole book is an exploration of what leads to the murder... Sebold's depiction of Helen's point of view is complex and gripping... The reading of he unabridged audiobook by Joan Allen is very strong. Her performance helps to make Helen a character one can identify with, and she also brings out the humor of her observations....The Almost Moon is if anything more memorable than The Lovely Bones, and is far more rewarding work to reflect on. (Metapsychology Christian Perring 2008)

Alice Sebold is the bestselling author of The Lovely Bones a novel, and Lucky, a memoir. She lives in California with her husband, the novelist Glen David Gold.