A "sweet sense" calling someone home
Another magical story from Sarah Addison Allen. How does she do it? How is she able to take the reader on such wondrous journeys, with ordinary characters, often flawed or dissociated from life for whatever reason and turn them around, taking us with them. I am amazed at the depth of the author's character building. Her books always enchant me and take me to a better place, they are so alluring they definitely keep me reading.
In "The Girl Who Chased the Moon", we have broken lives, secrets kept and secrets ready to destroy. Emily Benedict has just lost her mother and has made the decision to go back to Mullaby, where her mother was born, and where the grandfather she never knew she had lives. She is shocked at the number of secrets her mother kept from her about her life. She isn't welcomed by the townspeople, in fact, she feels that they would like to run her out of town because of something her mother did. What could she possibly have done to create such animosity? Emily only knew her mother as a caring and devoted parent, one who was charitable to everyone. Why didn't her mother ever tell her anything about her life? She is even shocked to learn she has a living grandfather, even more that Grandpa Vance is a giant. As they begin to get to know each other, maybe the biggest mystery is within the house itself. Very strange goings on. Keep an eye on that wallpaper and don't go in the woods!
She becomes acquainted with Julia Winterson next door who was in the same class as Emily's mother, and another lost soul. A healing process gradually brings a close relationship to both. I was fascinated with the idea of a "sweet sense" calling those who have it whenever Julia bakes. This story just simply flows through the connections of a life Emily never knew about. The writing is so smooth and captivating. I couldn't put it down once I started. What are the mysterious lights of Mullaby? What secrets are being held by her new friends? What deed could her mother have done to still cause such condemnation? Why does Win Coffey keep showing up? This is a story of healing, second chances, and secrets that need to be unveiled, causing the reader to feel they want and need to know all those answers too. I loved this book, a hauntingly beautiful story. Recipes included.
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