Behind the Moon

by Madison Smartt Bell

O Magazine’s Top 20 Books to Read - Summer 2017 "Best known for his acclaimed Haitian trilogy— All Souls' Rising , Master of the Crossroads and The Stone That the Builder Refused —Bell draws on his own experiences with voodoo possession to re-create his characters' descent into a sinister otherworld. The novel toys with perspective—women shape-shifting into rocks or animals; the same life-or-death scene played repeatedly, with myriad outcomes—in a kind of primal storytelling that crackles with dread and desire."— O Magazine When Julie skips school and sets off with her best friend and some local boys for a camping trip in the desert, she finds herself the target of unwanted, drug-fueled sexual attention. Running away in fear, she takes a dangerous fall down the shaft of a vast underground cave, and it takes two days for her to be rescued. Lying unconscious in her hospital bed, Julie hovers between life and death as she travels in a seductive parallel universe inspired by remarkable cave paintings left behind by prehistoric humans. Marko, her attacker, tries to cover his tracks, menacing those who know what happened in the desert that night. Jamal, the youngest son in a family of Iraqi refugees living in Julie’s small town, is one of his prime targets. He defies Marko, keeping him away from Julie’s bedside and refusing to fall prey to his threats of violence. Meanwhile, Marissa, who gave Julie up for adoption fifteen years earlier when she became pregnant as an adolescent, is following an instinct that leads her back to the daughter she once abandoned. With the aid of Jamal and a local Native American hitman/shaman, she attempts to draw Julie back to consciousness. Madison Smartt Bell is best known for his trilogy of novels about Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution, including All Souls’ Rising , which was a finalist for the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Praise for Behind the Moon : "Madison Smartt Bell writes with the urgency of someone who just received a dire prognosis. And Behind the Moon will remind you that you are alive."—Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Here I Am "Between fever dreams and stone hard reality, Madison Smartt Bell has crafted a powerful examination of what is and what might be. It is simply wonderful."—Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard out of Carolina "I love these characters. I love the writing. Behind the Moon is a brilliant work." —Percival Everett, author of Half an Inch of Water "Bell gives us this fast-paced, spiritually inspired dream-story, full of heart and hope and danger. It's adventure at its a spiked drink, a desert cave, a gunshot, a mother looking for her child. Buckle you are headed for a terrific ride."—Deb Olin Unferth, author of Wait Till You See Me Dance " Behind The Moon is a visceral, full body primal experience; terrifying, seductive, Madison Smart Bell at his best."—A.M. Homes, author of May We Be Forgiven " Behind the Moon is a thrilling and uncannily powerful story by one of the best living American fiction writers. I couldn't put it down."—John McManus, author of Fox Tooth Heart "Madison Smartt Bell is one of the great american masters. This book has a pre-religous power, read it and be inspired."—Darcey Steinke, author of Sister Golden A Novel "With spare but lyrical prose, Madison Smartt Bell tells a harrowing story with propulsive drama. A haunting and hypnotic read."—Heidi W. Durrow, author of The Girl Who Fell From the Sky "Mr. Bell writes like a scrimshaw's angel, as he's been doing, luckily for us, nigh four decades."—George Singleton, author of Calloustown "In his latest work, Madison Smartt Bell secures his position as one of the country's most innovative, inventive and accomplished writers. From the heart-racing opening to the eye-opening end, you won’t be able to put this book down."—Jessica Anya Blau, author of The Trouble with Lexie "This cinematic novel is a rare combination of smart literary novel and compelling page-turner, at once menacing and sweeping, dark and transportive, eloquent and hallucinatory."—Michael Kimball, author of Big Ray "Madison Smartt Bell's new novel renders the many ways in which longing can take form, with both disastrous and redemptive consequences."—Chantel Acevedo, author of The Distant Marvels "This latest from National Book Award finalist Bell (after Zig Zag Wanderer) is the story of an illicit teenage camping trip gone awry. . . . Multiple versions and perspectives are pervasive and illustrate the dream space and the story, culminating in a perfect matchup of beginning and ending."—Starred review, Library Journal

"Bell, bewitching and incandescently imaginative, masterfully parallels Marissa and Jamal’s heart-pounding encounters with mayhem and mystery . . . [a] mind-twisting drama . . ."—Donna Seaman, Booklist "In Bell’s latest novel, a girl named Julie, fleeing from a violent sexual encounter in the desert, tumbles into a cave and falls into a fever dream inspired by ancient dr...

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, American, Mystery

280 pages, Paperback

Published May 16, 2017

About the author

Madison Smartt Bell is a critically acclaimed writer of more than a dozen novels and story collections, as well as numerous essays and reviews for publications such as Harper’s and the New York Times Book Review. His books have been finalists for both the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award, among other honors. Bell has also taught at distinguished creative writing programs including the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, Johns Hopkins, and Goucher College. His work is notable for its sweeping historical and philosophical scope matched with a remarkable sensitivity to the individual voices of characters on the margins of society.

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a little worried about myself as a reader, lately. I've worried that my brain has somehow broken under recent (and continued) strain, and that I've turned... square... for lack of a better word. Several books I've read this year have resulted in my annoyance and bewilderment, or at best, ambivalence. Why? Because they didn't make sense to me, they didn't offer direction, they played around too much, they rested on a throne of thought-clouds.

This disturbed me, because I like to think of myself as a pretty decent reader. An open one, full of optimism. I was starting to re-evaluate that a bit. Other readers didn't seem to feel the same impatience for experimental or minimalist structure. What was I missing? Why couldn't I "get it"?

I don't know if I have the answer to that question, at least in reference to those particular books I struggled with, and I know a lot boils down to timing and personal preference. But after reading Madison Smartt Bell's Behind the Moon, I'm encouraged. This is a piece of art, one that challenges its reader (with story and form), and I loved it.

Bell works voodoo here. He mixes the very real and concrete with something strange and otherworldly. He incants the same mysterious magic that floats about in The Color of Night. This is a unique piece that straddles two worlds. In one world, teenagers are in a dangerous predicament, and, fallen into a cave, a girl's life hangs in the balance. In another world - the mystical one that Bell describes as "behind the moon" - ancient beings roam, consciousness splinters and reinvents itself, ethereal journeys take place.

Beautiful, deeply lyrical, and hypnotic, Behind the Moon is compelling and disorienting, both. The author calls it a fever dream, which is an apt description. A dream complete with visions and shamans and rituals and rebirth. The marrow of life. An expression of the inexpressible.

When my children are daydreaming, I say they are "sur la lune", an expression left over from our life in Montreal. This book is for those who are willing to take a lunar trip here and there... but never fear, Madison Smartt Bell has a story, one that returns you safely back to Earth when the time is right.

[Cathie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story of a girl, who with a group of friends, skips school to go on a camping trip and ends up unconscious. There is a lot of subplots within, such as Indigenous folklore, visions, an estranged mother-daughter relationship.
There was actually too much going on in this tale and many times I was confused as to what the real story was. I also read a pre-released electronic copy of the book, thanks to the publisher, the author and Edelweiss, and many pages were disjointed with drawings and sometimes one or two bold lettering, different font size words, which was very distracting.

This may have been good if it had tried to tell one story line. I found it hard to get into and even harder to stay involved with it.

[D.S. West · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another of those novels I don't know I'd recommend to a reader, per se, there's never a lot of concrete resolution, and I understand that's important to people, readers. But, the writer in me loved this book. I'd never read or heard of Madison Smartt Bell, but this seems to be a seasoned novelist having fun. Having passed out of the want to impress, this is my favorite kind of novel-- weird, rich in language, utterly self-indulgent. Spiritual in a way, but not at all specific or dogmatic or preachy in the least. I think I missed a few beats, plot wise-- entirely my fault for finishing the novel over Stone IPA but, I enjoyed the read, and that's what matters, yeah?

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a strong tone and mysterious mystical undercurrent throughout. I will say that it is one of those novels that you have to read all at once or within a short period of time. I read most of it in two days and was enjoying it but then didn't get around to finishing it until weeks later and by that time I had lost all interest and was too far removed to remember all of the elusive and intangible plots. It's all feeling and mystery, and throughout you are guessing what exactly is happening but that can be fun sometimes.

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you read this while playing Pink Floyd's
"Dark Side of the Moon," it acts as a sleep aid.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

interwoven alternate realities, as they could have happened ... and native american imagery.

[R.K. Cowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

[French Giant · Rating 1 out of 5]

What did I just read?

[Sarah N · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the premise of the story was interesting and I liked the quick flow of the chapters. However, I found the book confusing and had a hard time keeping up with what was happening.

[Jonathan Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Closest to science fiction in the MSB world, a return to the edges of reality, where the Storytelling Stone originated
https://discontinuednotes.com/2023/01...

[Alicia O · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that the beginning was fascinating and thrilling, and enjoyed the YA tilt. But as time went on, I felt confused and disoriented. Overall a good read.

[Ann Theis]

LJ

[Fraser Sherman]

Couldn't finish this one. Partly that's a YMMV matter (literary fiction, which as I've often mentioned isn't to my taste), but also the mystical/spirit-plane stuff felt pretty stock (I'd hoped for something off-beat enough to overcome my literary biases).

[Carolyn Polley-Peters]

it is a bit of a wild trip this novel. at times hard to follow. a bit like an indigenous American desert like Stranger Things. i did enjoy!