The Long Night Moon - Elizabeth Towles, Author

[Martha A. Cheves]

The Long Night Moon - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

'Metal hurtled out of control. Drivers slammed their brakes to the floorboard. Vehicles skidded in all directions. An ear-piercing scream went out, laying down an eerie quiet...'

Seventeen year old Darcie and nineteen year old Ian lost their parents in an auto accident caused by the combustion of a tire. Ian was now head of the family. He alone, had to make all of the decisions regarding the future of his sister Darcie. Three weeks after the funeral Ian made his first major decision which was to move Darcie to their mountain home located in the North Carolina mountains just outside of Franklin. This decision was made due to a secret that Darcie carried around with her. A secret that she had no idea her brother knew. A secret that would change the lives of everyone around her, including her own.

As I read The Long Night Moon, I could feel the compassion and closeness between Darcie and Ian. I could also feel the spirit of 17 year old Darcie and her lack of respect for others. She was a person who had one desire in life. That desire was to have fun no matter what the long run cost may be. She was selfish, self centered and very much on the wild side when it came to relationships with the opposite sex. She was a character that, as I read about her "adventures," I really didn't like. And when she met Wa'si, a Cherokee Indian whose family had lived in the NC mountains for ages, I formed an even stronger dislike for her. Wa'si lost his wife and child after her car went over a mountain. His emotions were still raw and Darcie's plans for him were nothing short of more pain.

As I read deeper into The Long Night Moon, I began to understand Darcie a little better. I followed her as she grew into a caring, mature young woman. And I followed her as she was faced with even more tragedy which again made her into an even stronger woman.

The Long Night Moon has everything needed to make a great read. It's filled with love, pain, sorrow, happiness, tragedy and a shaky ending. It's also filled with places and sites in the NC mountains that I didn't know existed. I've lived here for 15 years now without seeing that much of the state. After reading The Long Night Moon, I plan on changing that. To me, this was a very enjoyable book.