Stunning book. I didn’t expect to get so invested in it to be honest, it’s not my usual kind of read. But I couldn’t put it down. Super short chapters give a sense of urgency to the story and it really draws you in. Just beautiful.

Moonrise was one of the December book club choices in Rick O’Shea’s Book Club over on Facebook, so naturally I was curious enough to download this from my local library and see what it was like. I wasn’t expecting it to be so good!

As the blurb says, Joe hasn’t seen his brother in a decade as Ed is on Death Row. But now the inevitable has happened, a date has been set for his execution, so Joe decides to go and spend the last few weeks near Ed to try to make up for lost time.

Moonrise follows Joe in those few weeks, through hope and desperation, as he spends time with Ed. It is a really great narrative as Joe gets a job close to the prison and he also meets people from the town near the prison. This isn’t necessarily a good thing, as not everyone is too pleased to be talking about Ed and what he did/ didn’t do.

The further in to Moonrise I got, the more I started to hope along with Joe. They were appealing Ed’s case, hopeful for a stay of execution, or wrongful imprisonment, and with each hurdle Joe’s resilience takes another knock. I really felt for him as a character. I just wanted it all to work out.

Moonrise is a brilliant story. It will put you through an emotional wringer. I got invested in the characters, so much so that I still think about them weeks after reading. I just loved how this book got under my skin.

Highly recommended! 

By Kate

Edward Moon was coerced to sign a confession of homicide at seventeen years of age, legally binding and convicting the innocent young man. Moonrise is a poignant and provoking narrative of seventeen year old Joseph Moon and his brother who is scheduled to be executed in Kirkland Texas.

As children, Edward, Angela and Joseph were often neglected, their mother a verbally abusive alcoholic. Parental responsibilities are entrusted to Karen, their mother's single, Christian sister. At seventeen years of age, Edward escaped the confines of their regimented home only to be incarcerated for the death of a police officer. Edward's execution has been scheduled and despite Karen's disapproval, Joseph begins his journey to farewell his brother. The narrative is incredibly distressing as the responsibility is placed upon Joseph, temporarily living within the decrepit Kirkland motel, abandoned by Karen and Angela.

Capital punishment is a contentious discussion, sanctioned throughout the United States although abolished in Australia. Intense and confronting, the nonlinear narrative explores the familial relationship between siblings. Edward has been imprisoned for ten years and estranged from his siblings and with their mother absent, Karen has denied Angela and Joseph access to their brother.

Sarah Crossan is a monumental storyteller and with so few words is, able to captivate and immerse readers. Tragically, poignantly beautiful. 

By Kelly