The Half Moon: The compelling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author

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Could not get into the story(ies) at all. There were so many. Instead of focusing on one, you have to focus on many but none were in-depth enough to hold my interest or I just didn’t find it interesting. Read our interview with Mary Beth Keane: “Every bartender in my family already thinks this book is about them.” For Malcolm and Jess, their once-solid bond is tested largely by a yearslong infertility struggle that takes a massive toll on their finances, mental health, and trust in each other. Jess, in particular, struggles to let go of her motherhood dreams and resents Malcolm — overwhelmed by job pressure and their diminishing savings — for being more willing to shut the door on the possibility.

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane | Goodreads

Main characters who are in their forties but behave as if they are in their twenties. Jessica and Malcolm have many secrets from each other despite their long relationship. This should have made them realistic, but their baseless self-pity and shoddy decision-making made me loathe them instead of rooting for them. When I can’t feel sympathetic even towards a woman who is desperate to be a mother, the book is a lost cause.

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From the bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes, a masterful and “absorbing” ( The New York Times) novel about a couple in a small town navigating the complexities of marriage, family, and longing. I can’t help recollect the song lyrics, ‘You say it best, when you say nothing at all.’ So I”ll just stop this rant here and hope that it’s for the best. This may be the most accurate portrayal of marriage I have ever read. Marriage can be messy. It can be all consuming and lonely at the same time. With marriage comes compromise but sometimes a person can only compromise so much. I loved both Malcolm and Jess. Neither one was perfect and both made mistakes but through it all they were still good people at their core. People you want to see happy and successful in their endeavors. My heart broke for their predicament. Keane took such care in crafting not only this story but the characters. Slow burn, quiet stories like these don't always work for me but I was completely invested in this couple and their outcome. For me, the ending was absolutely perfect. 4 stars! The tale of Jess and Malcolm is a poignant and relatable one. Their struggles and triumphs mirror those of countless individuals we know or perhaps even our own journeys, each with its own unique set of consequences. It is this universality that makes the story so captivating and profoundly real.

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane | Book of the Month The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane | Book of the Month

Jess's dream is to have a baby. For years she'll go from doctor to doctor for the newest procedures to become pregnant, no matter the cost. I didn’t go through anything like what Jess went through, but I talked to a lot of people who felt like they were dying to talk about it,” she says. “It’s a type of grief that’s just not discussed that much. It’s hard to make people understand who haven’t gone through it.” Jess, feeling neglected and resentful, mourns the loss of the shared dream they once held dear. Failed attempts at IVF treatments drained their savings, leaving Jess questioning Malcolm's priorities and the sacrifices she had made for their relationship. As their paths diverge, they both grapple with the weight of their choices and the haunting question of whether they are truly living the lives they had envisioned. I think when you’re young, you think, ‘Love is enough,’ but after a while, love is really not enough,” Keane says. “At some point, you have to start figuring out how to protect yourself and your personhood within this unit.”

While writing a novel is a whole different world, the struggle to get it right — to capture that lightning in a bottle — is a familiar feeling. Keane, who’s now at work on her fifth novel (which will be “quite different” from her previous works, she hints), says she tries to write every day to keep the momentum going but takes time to re-center herself when the words aren’t coming the way she wants. Overall, this is a depthy tale of a marriage in trouble. I was impressed and will seek out Ms. Keane’s next book without any prodding. Highly recommended for those looking for something real. This is the story of the marriage between Malcolm and Jess. As the book opens Malcolm informs us that Jess moved out of their home 17 weeks previous. to be honest i am very confused to see this low average rating, because while these characters are definitely unlikable, i found myself liking them anyway.