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What the Moon Did
No matter how we try to hide our past, truth finds its way to the surface, sometimes in devastating ways.
Mary Jo Johnson has a secret.
In the summer of 1949, twelve-year-old Mary Jo is changed forever. Not understanding why, she suddenly has the attention of one of her parents’ friends, Roger Bradfield, who notices things about Mary Jo no one else ever has. In Roger’s gaze, she is special, wonderful, perfect.
But for a twelve-year-old girl, “consent” is a foreign concept, especially when it comes to a much older and more powerful man. When Mary Jo becomes pregnant, her parents protect Roger, not to mention their status in the town, and—they hope—Mary Jo’s future. Mary Jo is sent away to live with her grandmother for a time as they spin a story that will blanket all their lives with a lie.
That summer reaches into the decades as Mary Jo moves forward into her own life. Mary Jo gets married, has more children, and obtains the country club membership, nice house, and upper-middle-class trappings promised by her upbringing. But the lie never goes away, affecting not only her but generations to come. At the end, will the truth come out, or will Mary Jo take her trauma to the grave?
Told in alternating points-of view, What the Moon Did reveals the wounds that never heal and the effects on Mary Jo, her parents, her siblings, and her children, as well as the others who were shattered by the events of those hot summer months.
Mary Jo Johnson has a secret.
In the summer of 1949, twelve-year-old Mary Jo is changed forever. Not understanding why, she suddenly has the attention of one of her parents’ friends, Roger Bradfield, who notices things about Mary Jo no one else ever has. In Roger’s gaze, she is special, wonderful, perfect.
But for a twelve-year-old girl, “consent” is a foreign concept, especially when it comes to a much older and more powerful man. When Mary Jo becomes pregnant, her parents protect Roger, not to mention their status in the town, and—they hope—Mary Jo’s future. Mary Jo is sent away to live with her grandmother for a time as they spin a story that will blanket all their lives with a lie.
That summer reaches into the decades as Mary Jo moves forward into her own life. Mary Jo gets married, has more children, and obtains the country club membership, nice house, and upper-middle-class trappings promised by her upbringing. But the lie never goes away, affecting not only her but generations to come. At the end, will the truth come out, or will Mary Jo take her trauma to the grave?
Told in alternating points-of view, What the Moon Did reveals the wounds that never heal and the effects on Mary Jo, her parents, her siblings, and her children, as well as the others who were shattered by the events of those hot summer months.
326 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2023
About the author
Jessica Barksdale Inclán
49 books460 followersJessica Barksdale Inclán's sixteenth novel, What the Moon Did, and her first short story collection, Trick of the Porch Light, were published in 2023. Her novels include Her Daughter’s Eyes, The Play's the Thing, and The Burning Hour.
A Pushcart Prize and Best-of-the-Net nominee, her short stories, poems, and essays have appeared in or are forthcoming in the The Sun, Salt Hill Journal, Tahoma Review, and So to Speak. Her work has been recognized and honored by The Sewanee Review, The Wigleaf, The North American Review, and The Ocotillo Review
She taught composition, literature, and creative writing at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California and continues to teach novel writing online for UCLA Extension and in the online MFA program for Southern New Hampshire University.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband.
For more information, go to: http://www.jessicabarksdaleinclan.com
A Pushcart Prize and Best-of-the-Net nominee, her short stories, poems, and essays have appeared in or are forthcoming in the The Sun, Salt Hill Journal, Tahoma Review, and So to Speak. Her work has been recognized and honored by The Sewanee Review, The Wigleaf, The North American Review, and The Ocotillo Review
She taught composition, literature, and creative writing at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California and continues to teach novel writing online for UCLA Extension and in the online MFA program for Southern New Hampshire University.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband.
For more information, go to: http://www.jessicabarksdaleinclan.com
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 12, 2023
Time. Life. Family. Lies. Secrets. What the Moon Did is a story to be remembered. The lives memorialized are people I remember and can identify with. The decisions made about a young girl's future were hard to make and the price was paid. Mary Jo as an adult is affected by these decisions. The author brings the story vividly to life. Highly recommended!
My thanks to the author, Jessica Barksdale, and the publisher, Flexible Press, for my copy of this book. #Goodreads Giveaway
My thanks to the author, Jessica Barksdale, and the publisher, Flexible Press, for my copy of this book. #Goodreads Giveaway
January 12, 2023
Thank you to Barksdale Inclan for the advanced reading copy of her new novel.
What the Moon Did is a beautiful piece of writing, from start to finish. It is a novel that burns hot in the reader's chest, gives rise to a lightning bolt of anger that must find ground, which isn't as easy as it may sound. After all, no one is perfect. Some evils are easy to distinguish, but darkness also hides in a mother's good intentions, a daughter's shame, and the cowardice of a father.
Barksdale Inclan's What the Moon Did brings light to the darkest corners of the human experience. In the pages of this heart-wrenching tale, readers are given a rare gift -- that of perspective. The ability to witness the complexity of multiple lives blossoming, being destroyed and then moving forward again, however broken. Barksdale Inclan honors survivors of trauma by writing her characters with wisdom, ensuring their stories carry the depth and truth of human imperfection. She masterfully weaves compassion and strength into characters we know to be monsters, sows weakness and fear into those we so deeply want to love.
What the Moon Did is a beautiful piece of writing, from start to finish. It is a novel that burns hot in the reader's chest, gives rise to a lightning bolt of anger that must find ground, which isn't as easy as it may sound. After all, no one is perfect. Some evils are easy to distinguish, but darkness also hides in a mother's good intentions, a daughter's shame, and the cowardice of a father.
Barksdale Inclan's What the Moon Did brings light to the darkest corners of the human experience. In the pages of this heart-wrenching tale, readers are given a rare gift -- that of perspective. The ability to witness the complexity of multiple lives blossoming, being destroyed and then moving forward again, however broken. Barksdale Inclan honors survivors of trauma by writing her characters with wisdom, ensuring their stories carry the depth and truth of human imperfection. She masterfully weaves compassion and strength into characters we know to be monsters, sows weakness and fear into those we so deeply want to love.
March 4, 2023
What the Moon Did by Jessica Barksdale Inclan. Thanks to @tlcbooktours for the gifted copy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mary Jo is only twelve years old but has a secret. She doesn’t understand consent or what an older family friend does to her. When she becomes pregnant, her family makes a decision that will change their lives forever.
This was difficult to read, especially in the beginning. I liked the story because you sit with them over a long period of time and get a deep understanding of how their choices affected their lives. You get to see the effect of trauma in several individuals and it makes for great character development.
“What he was doing was wrong, but something inside her held his wrongness close. She wore it like a necklace, the locket smooth between her breasts. It was hers.”
What the Moon Did is available now. A portion of all proceeds goes to Planned Parenthood.
Mary Jo is only twelve years old but has a secret. She doesn’t understand consent or what an older family friend does to her. When she becomes pregnant, her family makes a decision that will change their lives forever.
This was difficult to read, especially in the beginning. I liked the story because you sit with them over a long period of time and get a deep understanding of how their choices affected their lives. You get to see the effect of trauma in several individuals and it makes for great character development.
“What he was doing was wrong, but something inside her held his wrongness close. She wore it like a necklace, the locket smooth between her breasts. It was hers.”
What the Moon Did is available now. A portion of all proceeds goes to Planned Parenthood.
March 11, 2023
I cannot put into words how much this book struck me. It is a hard read, that will strike anger through your entire body. You will sit there unbelieving what Mary Jo had to endure as a child of twelve. Her parents believing and forgiving the man who raped her. I cannot even imagine having to live through that. Jessica Barksdale Inclan has captured the essence of each character. Drawing you deeper and deeper into this unforgettable story. You will witness how a dark family secret will take on a life of its own. Each person thinking, they are doing what is right, what is for the best. When it is spreading its roots and hold on everyone. Leaving the unknown bystanders just as confused. Knowing there is something more to their story, and to their family's history.
Mary Jo is just starting to blossom and showing signs of womanhood when she notices one of her parents' friends watching her. His eyes always finding her body, no matter where she is. These looks turn into something much worse when he brings her into her mother's closet and rapes her. Leading to a pregnancy and a secret that is kept for 68 years. You will watch Mary Jo's story develop and mold as she becomes older. Seeing how this secret is still holding on tight to her heart and affecting every part of her life.
This book will sink its teeth into you. It is a generational story that is spread from 1949 until 2021. It will have multiple points of view, which adds so many more layers and depth to the story. It is book that makes you want to smack many of the characters, yell at the book, and cry as more of the story comes out. Thank you to Jessica Barksdale Inclan, TLC Book Tours, and Flexible Press for my gifted copy of a book I will never forget!
Mary Jo is just starting to blossom and showing signs of womanhood when she notices one of her parents' friends watching her. His eyes always finding her body, no matter where she is. These looks turn into something much worse when he brings her into her mother's closet and rapes her. Leading to a pregnancy and a secret that is kept for 68 years. You will watch Mary Jo's story develop and mold as she becomes older. Seeing how this secret is still holding on tight to her heart and affecting every part of her life.
This book will sink its teeth into you. It is a generational story that is spread from 1949 until 2021. It will have multiple points of view, which adds so many more layers and depth to the story. It is book that makes you want to smack many of the characters, yell at the book, and cry as more of the story comes out. Thank you to Jessica Barksdale Inclan, TLC Book Tours, and Flexible Press for my gifted copy of a book I will never forget!
March 6, 2023
Wow.
I typically read horror or thrillers so this was a much different pace. But this story…the author did such an amazing job and made you feel as if you were a part of it…you were feeling the emotions of everyone involved. Rage, sadness, shock, heartbreak…all the emotions.
Highly recommend this book. Check your trigger warnings.
I typically read horror or thrillers so this was a much different pace. But this story…the author did such an amazing job and made you feel as if you were a part of it…you were feeling the emotions of everyone involved. Rage, sadness, shock, heartbreak…all the emotions.
Highly recommend this book. Check your trigger warnings.
March 11, 2023
This book is intense right from the start! Right away, you find a girl naked Mary Jo raped at age 12 by a family friend, Roger...an older adult. She becomes pregnant and what does the family do? Protects the "upstanding" man and sends Mary Jo away to have the baby and pass it off as a surprise baby of her mom's.
There are a lot of skipping timelines but the chapters are named with the character and the year it's in. I was a little put off by how much it jumps at times. But oh how I ached for Mary Jo and her baby! I was furious with the adults! Roger should have been punished. The secrets were too big to be hidden.
There are a lot of skipping timelines but the chapters are named with the character and the year it's in. I was a little put off by how much it jumps at times. But oh how I ached for Mary Jo and her baby! I was furious with the adults! Roger should have been punished. The secrets were too big to be hidden.
April 11, 2023
In What the Moon Did, Inclán reminds us that "When [a man] gets hungry, nothing is safe," even when his appetite is for little girls. As a reader who can echo, "Me, too," the abuse scenes in the novel were emotionally tough to read because they ring so painfully true, but Inclán handles these scenes with care and in their aftermath, paints a vivid portrait of the destructive weight of family secrets. This book is a necessary one.
February 6, 2023
I was fortunate enough to read “What The Moon Did” in various draft stages and was thrilled when my published copy arrived from Amazon.
Jessica Barksdale Inclan’s “What The Moon Did” is a complex and beautifully crafted novel you don’t want to miss. This gut punch of a story explores the damage a family’s secret wrecks over decades. Told from multiple narrative perspectives, Barksdale Inclan perfectly captures the conflicts of the characters the reader wants to feel compassion for, while also making readers feel the pain of and conflicts within the characters we want to despise. I read with horror and wonder, terrified to keep reading and unable to stop.
Jessica Barksdale Inclan’s “What The Moon Did” is a complex and beautifully crafted novel you don’t want to miss. This gut punch of a story explores the damage a family’s secret wrecks over decades. Told from multiple narrative perspectives, Barksdale Inclan perfectly captures the conflicts of the characters the reader wants to feel compassion for, while also making readers feel the pain of and conflicts within the characters we want to despise. I read with horror and wonder, terrified to keep reading and unable to stop.
March 20, 2023
Thank you @tlcbooktours and @jessicainclan for a spot on tour and a gifted book.
Masterfully written & Heartbreaking
Not only is this a heart-wrenching tragedy of a young girl in 1949 who is raped by a family friend, but it shows the rippling consequences when her parents decide to take no action against her predator. In fact, they hide the truth of her resulting pregnancy from family and friends, even from the baby. Lies and secrets that will eventually resurface.
The characters are woven together so well - as past secrets begin to unravel, some have lived unscathed, others missed out on healthy relationships, but Mary Jo carries the worst kinds of scars.
The narrative feels simple yet intimate and close. Your heart will go through a spectrum of emotions with this one.
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥!
Masterfully written & Heartbreaking
Not only is this a heart-wrenching tragedy of a young girl in 1949 who is raped by a family friend, but it shows the rippling consequences when her parents decide to take no action against her predator. In fact, they hide the truth of her resulting pregnancy from family and friends, even from the baby. Lies and secrets that will eventually resurface.
The characters are woven together so well - as past secrets begin to unravel, some have lived unscathed, others missed out on healthy relationships, but Mary Jo carries the worst kinds of scars.
The narrative feels simple yet intimate and close. Your heart will go through a spectrum of emotions with this one.
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥!
March 18, 2023
Barksdale has written a powerful novel of secrets, lies and generational trauma. A master craft of storytelling, "What the Moon Did" deftly explores issues of abuse and its aftermath both through the eyes of a young girl in post WW2 Americana, and later, near the end of her life, as a survivor only now looking back on the impact of those years. As a reader, I so wanted to jump in and protect Mary Jo, to shake the adults around her who are supposed to protect her. I wanted to tell myself that the things they did instead would never happen, and yet we know they did (and still do), all too often.
The story itself takes a toll, as the reader soon comes to know and care about these people as if they are family. It's a credit to Barksdale as a writer that she pulls this off so remarkably.
The story itself takes a toll, as the reader soon comes to know and care about these people as if they are family. It's a credit to Barksdale as a writer that she pulls this off so remarkably.
October 29, 2024
This is not an easy book to read by virtue of the subject it entails (rape). However, I think it's very educational & necessary to help our society better understand how these atrocities happen & why we often handle it so poorly (fear of facing the truth, for example). The author does an excellent job of showing how so many lives were affected by the rape of a young girl & how these effects persevered across generations. And yet the story is not entirely without hope. As sad as it is to say, I expect many readers will be able to relate to this story, even if the details of their own story are a bit different.
August 16, 2023
This book, "What the Moon Did", was a well written work of common pleas.The trials and tribulations of a teenager begin when a teacher makes her pregnant in the broom closet. In today's world, these things happen, but when she decides to have the baby, things change. The book gives the readers a moral question, was it right to have the baby, and hide the facts of the father? When truth comes to light, the story spells out more then a difference between right and wrong.Well crafted and written in a language we can all understand. Well reccommended
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March 11, 2023
What The Moon Did will rip your heart out and make you hate fictional adults with such passion and fury. I read this book in less than a day because I simply couldn’t put it down. While multiple POVs and jumping timelines aren’t always a favorite of mine, What The Moon Did benefitted from being in the heads of multiple characters over a span of 50+ years because it continually moved the story forward while keeping me engaged in each piece of the story. Amazing read that I highly recommend!
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy to review.
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy to review.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews