The Half Moon

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane (2023) 293 pages

Malcolm and Jess have been married for 15 years. Their wedding was rushed because Jess became pregnant, but then she miscarried. The irony is that when they were ready to plan their family, it didn't happen, and it was only after years of fertility treatments that they reluctantly decided to stop trying. It was at that point that Malcolm was offered the opportunity to buy the bar he'd been working at for years, and he jumped at the chance to buy the rundown place, hoping to fix it up if/when funds became available. But between paying the former bar owner and repaying Jess's college and law school school loans, money was never easy; their savings had been depleted by the fertility treatments. 

With this as the set-up, the story starts with Malcolm living alone because Jess had moved out 4 months ago, and he has not heard from her. There is a huge snowstorm coming, he learns from good friends that Jess is back in town, but dating another man (a man who has three small children, a ready-made family), and there's a fight in his bar. Oh, and the former owner of the bar keeps sending out a goon to collect payments from Malcolm whenever Malcom's late to pay, which is frequent these days.

It's bleak. I wanted to stop reading, but there was something that kept me going. When the point of view switched to Jess's, a whole new dimension opened. The author wove in the reminder that there's always more than one way to look at a relationship. A few other sidebar issues become larger and add to the story. I felt rewarded for having stuck out the bleak portion of the novel.

 

Ms. Demeanor

 

Ms. Demeanor by Elinor Lipman (2023) 288 pages

Jane Morgan was a relatively new resident of her apartment building when she and a junior attorney from her firm decided one moonlit night to have sex on the rooftop of her building. A binoculars-wearing video-taping neighbor from a different building filmed them and called the police. The result: Jane's license to practice law is suspended and she is on home confinement for six months.

Jane's twin sister, a dermatologist, sends groceries. Jane loves to cook, and gets a couple of very old, late 1800s-era cookbooks that she is trying out. Her sister wants her to make cooking videos for TikTok. Meanwhile, the doorman to her building indicates that there is another person in the building who also has an ankle-monitor, as Jane does. Thus starts an interesting relationship – even though Perry is somewhat reserved, he and Jane find a kinship of sorts. He misses good meals and wants to pay her to cook for him a few nights per week.

Meanwhile, Jane learns that the woman who called the police on her has died, and there is a weird story behind her life and her death.

Elinor Lipman never disappoints me. Her characters are quirky and fun, in an understated way.

The Unwinding of the Miracle

 The Unwinding of the Miracle: A Memoir of Life, Death, and Everything That Comes After, by Julie Yip-Williams (2019) 315 pages

Julie Yip-Williams was born blind to Chinese parents in Vietnam not long after the fall of Saigon in 1975. When her family was able to get out of Vietnam, they came to the United States where doctors were able to help Julie's vision somewhat by removing cataracts from the four-year-old child. She remained legally blind, though, and always tried to compensate for it by becoming a high-achiever, eventually graduating from Harvard Law School.

At age 37, married to another attorney and mother to two young daughters, she was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. This book traces her whole life, including her medical and psychological journey as she deals with cancer. She wasn't brought up with religion, but one sees hints of spiritual thinking intertwined with her realism. Being invited into her thinking sometimes felt intrusive and other times felt like a privilege. Gut-wrenchingly honest.