In the Dark of the Moon by Suzanne Hudson

by Suzanne Hudson

In 1955, Emmitt Till is murdered in Mississippi, an event that drives Elizabeth Lacey – the unwitting architect of another cruel lynching – to madness. Consumed by guilt, Elizabeth takes her own life, leaving her four-year-old daughter in the care of her extended family. Seven years later, the precocious Kansas Lacey is intensely curious about a world she devours through National Geographic magazines and endless questions to the adults around her. When her curiosity extends to the circumstances of her mother’s suicide, the dark history of repression, addiction, and violence surrounding the prominent and respected Lacey family finally emerges.Suzanne Hudson is the acclaimed author of In a Temple of Trees and Opposable Thumbs. She lives in Baldwin County, Alabama, where she is a middle school guidance counselor and creative writing teacher.

Genres: Fiction

Hardcover

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

Suzanne Hudson is the author of two literary novels, In a Temple of Trees and In the Dark of the Moon. Her short fiction has been anthologized in almost a dozen books, including Stories from the Blue Moon Café and The Shoe Burnin’: Stories of Southern Soul. Her short story collection Opposable Thumbs was a finalist for a John Gardner Fiction Book Award. Her latest work of short stories, All the Way to Memphis, brings characters from the South to life in a way any reader will know and love. She lives with her husband, author Joe Formichella, near Fairhope, Alabama.

Reviews

[Gwen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this book for $1 because I liked the cover. I thought it might even be about werewolves. Well, it's not. It's such a dark and depressing book. I definitely think the title fits. What I dislike the most, though, is all the focus on sex. It's a book full of hate and violence with an overall showcase of humans at their worst and least redeemable. I know this story is fiction, however, much of the type of hate and violence is not (rape, incest, torture, child abuse, murder, body mutilation, and dismemberment). Overall, it's hard to feel much joy while reading this book, and it certainly affected my mood in my own day to day life. It offers a glimmer of hope, however, no true justice. I don't recommend it.

[kori kayleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

literally skipped over all of the action & left us with the feelings of everyone after. i hated 93% of the characters but have a little hope in my heart for kansas still. i bet she's a lesbian.

[Mandy Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Couldn't put it down. It's one I've shared with several friends because it needs to be read. Suzanne is an excellent writer and her characters come alive.