Finished Mo 6/20/11
Helen has lived her life as a bit player in the grand drama of her mother's life. Now, as a 49 year old divorced woman with two grown children, she has become Clair's primary care taker, and one evening, without much forethought, she smothers and murders the old woman. This occurs during the first few pages of the novel, and then Alice Sebold provides layer upon layer of nuanced detail to show the reader how and why events evolved to such a tragic climax.
The novel has many very well defined characters, and at the close of the story the reader has a keen insight into the background for the action. Clearly both Clair and Helen are flawed and neurotic characters, but Sebold shows their motivations and neuroses very vividly and artistically.
I was surprised that several professional critics dismissed "THE ALMOST MOON" as merely a study of one crazed women who deals with an even crazier woman. This really misses the point of the novel in that Sebold really lets you 'get into the mind' of Helen, and although you may not feel justified in her actions, you can definitely understand why she does what she does. And, not just the murder which the whole novel turns upon, but how she has chosen to live her life.
THE ALMOST MOON is a finely etched tale of a flawed and neurotic family who does the best that they can with the bent and distorted psychological tools at their command. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who would want to put some effort into a tragic tale with little or no redemption.
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