Book Review - Now I can See The Moon by Bonar Ash

 

Now I Can See The Moon by Bonar Ash begins in nineteen fifty-five in Surrey, England. It begins by telling us about Milly and her best friend, Izzy. The girls are seven years old and are inseparable. They spend much of their time in the attic, where Milly feels closest to her mother. Milly's mother, Miranda, died the year before. Luke, who grew up next door to Miranda and was her lifelong friend, becomes Milly's guardian and caretaker of their big house. The story then moves on ten years, and we begin learning about the other people who live in the house. The two lodgers are Esme and Felix. Babe, the housekeeper, is a surrogate mother to Milly. Also, Pascale, the one person in the house who hates Milly, was Miranda's childhood nurse. By this time, Luke is an award-winning carpenter running a successful business. Several women in the village are hoping he will want to have them as romantic partners.

Since her mother died, Milly has been plagued by a recurring nightmare: she falls off a boat into the water. She always wakes up at the point where she would have drowned, but Milly has no memory of ever being on a boat, and no one in the house can help her. As Milly gets older, she starts to see that most of the people she knows have secrets which they have been keeping from her. What is the nightmare all about? Why is Felix estranged from his daughter and granddaughter? Why does Pascale, who worshipped Miranda, hate Milly so much? Furthermore, what is the secret that everyone but Milly seems to know?

I loved the description Bonar Ash used for the child's view of where people go when they die. For example, on page one, "I could lose myself in the night sky with its overwhelming stars. I would search the glittering mass, looking for answers. I wondered if Grandma and Grandpa and my mother had somehow got tangled up in them and were wandering about, wondering what on earth had happened and why they couldn't come home." Some of the writing is almost poetic, which was beautiful to read. For example, on page thirteen, "I reached under the bed, which lolled like a vast beached boat in the middle of the attic floor."

I learnt a lot about the social history of the sixties. Babe loves music, so the top singers of the day are mentioned at one point, as are the advertising jingles. For example, on page eighteen, "go to work on an egg", it was lovely to have these reminders of a life my parents grew up in. However, as the book progresses, there are constant quotes from books and songs; these start to feel like padding; they are distracting and not helpful in helping the story progress. I would prefer the author to take all the quotes out and have a shorter book!

There are also many quotes from French songs which Miranda loved. It would have been nice to have a translation at the back of the book. The flow of the story was interrupted by having to keep googling to find out what the translation was.

Now I Can See The Moon by Bonar Ash started with great potential. However, the continuous quotes soon became tiresome. They were used to pad out the story, did not feel relevant in most cases, and I felt they were lazy on the author's part. The overuse of french song lyrics with no translation also spoilt the flow of the story considerably. Furthermore, I  feel the storyline is an unlikely one. Luke would have been eighteen or nineteen when Miranda died. Nevertheless, he was happy to take on the responsibility of a six-year-old girl. I have never met a teenage boy who could look after themselves, let alone a young child!

The editing was very good. I only found three errors. However, due to the mentioned dislikes, which spoiled the book for me, I want to give Now I Can See The Moon by Bonar Ash 3 out of 5 stars

I recommend this book to adult readers, especially people who enjoy a mystery with a hint of romance. There is some swearing, so I do not think this book is appropriate for younger audiences.

Thank you to Bonar Ash for a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review.