Rating: Diamond
Piper Kincaid has never been able to forget the summer she turned
fourteen--or understand its consequences. At thirty and diagnosed with
breast cancer, Piper is drawn back to that time and filled with regret.
As she attempts to reassemble the fragments of her history, what emerges
is the kaleidoscopic portrait of a young woman whose indefatigable
spirit prevails, despite shattered dreams. An evocative, richly-told
novel of coming-of-age and coming-to-terms, Undressing the Moon finds grace in wreckage and hope in a broken life.
---From Amazon.Com
I always rave about T. Greenwood. She never fails to impress nor does she ever disappoint. Undressing the Moon is
an earlier novel of hers that was reprinted because of demand. Every
time I go to Barnes and Noble I check to see if she's suddenly released a
new book because it seems that is the way I find her. By accident but
on purpose.
Greenwood
has a knack for imagery. The colors in this novel are vivid and unique.
Piper, the main character, has a voice her mom says is the color of
"holiday." Piper's mother makes stained glass art. Throughout the book,
Greenwood uses the broken glass, their colors, her mother's art as a
symbol for mending broken things. It is all really quite genius.
Some
people might label Greenwood's novels as depressing and heavy, but I
feel they are a breath of fresh air. She seems to understand the human
condition in ways that only a keen writer can. She said in an interview:
"I think that we are all defined, to a certain extent, by our
childhoods. My childhood memories are so vivid: the tragedies as well as
the happy times. I am who I am because of the sorrows I suffered as a
kid as well as the bliss. Fictional characters are no different. I
almost never write about adult characters without understanding where it
is that they came from. What haunts them...The very nature of narrative
is that there needs to be conflict. Problems. Trouble. I simply figure
out what my characters' problems are and then see them through them."
She tackles sensitive issues delicately and with precision. Nobody wants
to read a story about a happy family with no problems. And we all can
relate, in some way, to her characters. Sure, I was never abandoned by
my parents. Sure, I was never in an intimate affair with a teacher.
Sure, I have never had cancer. But I understand the struggle and the
fight that Greenwood's characters endure. While her characters may not
be likable (I never did side with her protagonist in This Glittering World)
and Piper isn't always the ideal, I think that is what makes them
human. You find yourself rooting for them simply because you want them
to get through. And that is the beauty of Ms. Greenwood.
Two Rivers still
stands as my absolute favorite Greenwood novel, but I cannot say I have
a least favorite. They're all excellent. If you're looking for books
with depth, beautiful writing, and something to say about human nature,
go find T. Greenwood at your local library or bookstore. I gave Undressing the Moon a Diamond Rating.
Thank
you, Ms. Greenwood, for always producing amazing literature. I look
forward to reading more of your novels, and I would love to, someday,
attend one of your writing workshops so I could glean an inkling of your
gift from you.
