What the Moon Did - by Jessica Barksdale Inclán (Paperback)

About the Book

What the Moon Did is the story of one woman who pushes a devastating trauma deep down inside, in hopes that telling a lie often enough will make everything right. But in the end, the truth always comes to the surface.

Book Synopsis

No matter how we try to hide our past, truth finds its way to the surface, sometimes in devastating ways.

Mary Jo Johnson has a secret.

In the summer of 1949, twelve-year-old Mary Jo is changed forever. Not understanding why, she suddenly has the attention of one of her parents' friends, Roger Bradfield, who notices things about Mary Jo no one else ever has. In Roger's gaze, she is special, wonderful, perfect.

But for a twelve-year-old girl, "consent" is a foreign concept, especially when it comes to a much older and more powerful man. When Mary Jo becomes pregnant, her parents protect Roger, not to mention their status in the town, and-they hope-Mary Jo's future. Mary Jo is sent away to live with her grandmother for a time as they spin a story that will blanket all their lives with a lie.

That summer reaches into the decades as Mary Jo moves forward into her own life. Mary Jo gets married, has more children, and obtains the country club membership, nice house, and upper-middle-class trappings promised by her upbringing. But the lie never goes away, affecting not only her but generations to come. At the end, will the truth come out, or will Mary Jo take her trauma to the grave?

Told in alternating points-of view, What the Moon Did reveals the wounds that never heal and the effects on Mary Jo, her parents, her siblings, and her children, as well as the others who were shattered by the events of those hot summer months.

Review Quotes

"Reminiscent of the writing of Joyce Carol Oates (and arguably as prolific as the writer), Barksdale Inclán masterfully weaves a powerful, poignant story that crawls under our skin. Told in third person, from the perspective of several characters, there's one point of view we truly find ourselves drawn to. Twelve-year old Mary Jo must live with her dark secret so that the family might save face and so as to keep the tight-knit community from unraveling.

Using a nonlinear narrative, Barksdale Inclán has developed tragically real and evocative characters, skillfully built the worlds they live in, while at the same time adroitly creating suspense. Emotionally gripping and unputdownable, What the Moon Did is a sweeping family saga, we'll not soon forget. At times heartbreaking, at times so infuriating we want to reach in and strangle a few of the characters, but by the end, we're sobbing and wanting to reach in to hug a couple of them."-Ruthie Marlenée, author of Agave Blues, Curse of the Ninth and Isabela's Island

"Jessica Barksdale Inclán's What the Moon Did pulls the reader into a story that ripples outward from a single trauma, exploring each character's perspective to show how one person's actions can touch multiple generations and families. Barksdale Inclán's light touch lets the characters speak--and think-- for themselves, showing how social and cultural norms shape our responses to tragedy, and the corrosive effects of shame and secrecy on boys and girls, men and women. The story is deeply compelling, immersing the reader in the mindsets and values of the 1950s, '70s and the present, and showing both how we get pulled into abusive cycles, and how we can break free of them. The novel doesn't sugarcoat the past, but is ultimately hopeful, outlining a path forward out of the darkness that swallowed the bright hopes of previous generations."-Christina Lynch, author of The Italian Party

"What the Moon Did is a masterful telling of a family's hidden tragedy and the unhealed wounds that long ripple throughout their lives. Barksdale Inclán reveals each character's journey with clear-eyed wisdom and empathy, weaving a powerfully real and intimate drama that haunted me after I finished the last page." -Lynn Sheene, author of The Last Time I Saw Paris