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Starlight and Moonshine
In early 1980s Detroit, during the year following the drunk driving death of their alcoholic mother, a chorus of family voices grapple with haunting memories of the joys, regrets and the strains of love that will reverberate throughout all of their lives.
During a Detroit winter’s last snowfall in 1980, feeling fine after a few too many drinks, Hannah Fallon crashes her car through a cyclone fence and into an elm tree, leaving behind a messy wake of love and grief through which her family must wade in the year following her death. The story of the Fallon family, told in retrograde beginning a year out from Hannah’s death through the family members’ varying viewpoints, explores the humor, love, and rancor of a family grappling to keep their tight-knit bonds from unraveling. This elegy of family life under siege, written with Cheeveresque wit, clarity, and intensity, fulfills the promise of a long-awaited first novel.
During a Detroit winter’s last snowfall in 1980, feeling fine after a few too many drinks, Hannah Fallon crashes her car through a cyclone fence and into an elm tree, leaving behind a messy wake of love and grief through which her family must wade in the year following her death. The story of the Fallon family, told in retrograde beginning a year out from Hannah’s death through the family members’ varying viewpoints, explores the humor, love, and rancor of a family grappling to keep their tight-knit bonds from unraveling. This elegy of family life under siege, written with Cheeveresque wit, clarity, and intensity, fulfills the promise of a long-awaited first novel.
- GenresLiterary Fiction
156 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 9, 2025
1 person is currently reading
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 27, 2025
Set in 1980, Starlight and Moonshine is a portrait of a family’s grief by Jospeh O’Malley.
In the aftermath of Hannah Fallon’s death from driving while intoxicated, her children, husband, and sister-in-law navigate their life without her. Husband James retreats from his kids and sister Addy. Youngest son Jack drops out of school for a cleaning job at a local hospital. Daughter Colleen is an aspiring chef and she copes with the loss in an unhealthy way. Daughter Mary spends less time at home and more time in bars and with men. Addy never particularly cared for Hannah, and she does not understand how her death has affected everyone so much.
Starlight and Moonshine is a quick read that unfolds from each of family member’s perspectives. The most poignant chapter is from Hannah’s point of view and it explains a lot about different times in her marriage and the day she dies. Readers each get a brief view of what the various family members’ lives in the years after their loss. Jospeh O’Malley’s debut is a poignant novel that is well-written and engaging.
In the aftermath of Hannah Fallon’s death from driving while intoxicated, her children, husband, and sister-in-law navigate their life without her. Husband James retreats from his kids and sister Addy. Youngest son Jack drops out of school for a cleaning job at a local hospital. Daughter Colleen is an aspiring chef and she copes with the loss in an unhealthy way. Daughter Mary spends less time at home and more time in bars and with men. Addy never particularly cared for Hannah, and she does not understand how her death has affected everyone so much.
Starlight and Moonshine is a quick read that unfolds from each of family member’s perspectives. The most poignant chapter is from Hannah’s point of view and it explains a lot about different times in her marriage and the day she dies. Readers each get a brief view of what the various family members’ lives in the years after their loss. Jospeh O’Malley’s debut is a poignant novel that is well-written and engaging.
December 23, 2025
4.5 stars rounded up
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews