Review: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

5 stars for Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech.

I found this gem of a book some time last year, on the shelf outside the library where people are encouraged to leave books they no longer want to keep. I did not know author Sharon Creech at that point in time having never crossed path with any of her books before and thus, have no idea what kind of books she writes. I also did not know it then that the story bound within the pages of that yellowed paperback is going to have such a profound effect on my being. What I did know is that the book calls out to me, telling me to bring it home. And that is exactly what I did that day. Back home, I placed the book on my bookshelf and proceed to forget all about it. It is only in recent weeks when I sought recommendations on children's fiction from this FB group "What Should I Read Next" that I am once again reminded of this book. A handful of the members highly recommended Walk Two Moons and I get a vague impression of seeing the title somewhere before. Then it clicked. I have this book with me all along! And lucky me didn't know how lucky I am.

Walk Two Moons is about 13-year old Salamanca Tree Hiddle aka Sal who goes on a road trip with her eccentric grandparents to retrace her mother's route after her mother leaves home suddenly. Along the way, Sal recounts the story of her friend, Phoebe, a girl of powerful imaginations with tales of lunatics and axe murderers, whose mother has also left. Though Sal's story is interesting and even amusing at times, beneath her narrative is the deeper story of her own mother.

I am not sure why this book is labelled as children's fiction. Perhaps it is because the protagonist is thirteen years old and that it is very much a family story. But other than that, the themes involved are deep and I doubt most children will appreciate spending their time to read a heavy story even if they are capable of understanding the subject matter. The themes in the story include dealing with grief and loss, guilt and self-blame, cultural identity, development of new relationships, courage in the face of adversity, women's roles as mothers and wives, love, the search for meaning, the purpose of life and the importance of self-worth. Though a story of many themes, the focus of the novel's plot is actually that of putting yourself in other people's position to better understand that person. To quote "Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins."

I have read quite a number of children's literature lately and most are well written. But this novel stands out among the rest. What makes it shine is the author's use of a story within a story and the use of foreshadowing. When combined, it makes for a richly layered story that toggles between the past and the present that flows seamlessly. A story within a story helps convey a deeper meaning in the life of the characters. Even though it is the story of a single life (Sal's), it also manages to tell the story of many (Phoebe's, the Finney's, Margaret's, Sal's grandparents'). There are many layers of understanding spread throughout the novel and the use of a story within a story helps to reveal them. For example, Phoebe's story helps reveal Sal's life and the pain she is trying to overcome. The Finney family's easy charm constrasts sharply with the rigidness of Phoebe's to reveal the flaws of their so-called perfect life. On foreshadowing, the author uses it to help build tension and excitement to good effect. To quote Sal ""We had absolutely no idea all the trouble they were going to cause" and "Later I would realize that I had prayed for the wrong things." Due to such forewarning, I cannot help but feel a sense of unease as I read on. I want to know what is going to happen next yet I am afraid to find out.

What I like about this novel is that it so accurately expresses the emotions of loss. The characters in the book all experience loss to some degree and we see how they deal with it in their own ways. Some choose denial, some bravely face up to what has happened while some choose to protect. No matter the methods, it is heartbreakingly sad and it reminds us, at the same time, to appreciate our family and not to take things for granted, to open our eyes and not be blind to things we choose not to see. To quote Sal "I wondered why it was so easy for me to see that Phoebe's mother was worried and miserable, but Phoebe couldn't see it - or if she could, she was ignoring it. Maybe she didn't want to notice." To quote Phoebe "Don't you think it's odd that Mrs Partridge, who is blind, could see something about me - but I, who can see, was blind about her?"

Another thing that makes this story one of a kind is the use of quotes and poem to send its message across. These quotes, meaningful and thought-provoking, appear mysteriously but fit in perfectly well with the story at various stages. They guide us to look inward about our own motives. Often, people are too quick to pass judgement and too slow to self reflect. Each of us have our own agenda and cannot see past our own emotions and tend to overlook the feelings of people close to us. We know not the worth of something until we have lost it. In the course of a lifetime, what are the events that will matter? The same thing, say a poem, can garner different reactions from different people depending on the circumstances of their lives at that moment. Talking about poem, "The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which the author chooses to make reference to cannot be more apt for her story. This dark poem reveals the sad reality of life on Earth, that human life is temporary and the cycles of the natural world will continue to the end of time.

A girl who hopes for things to be back the same it used to be, with her mother and father in their family house in the countryside, with their barn and the river and the swimming hole, with the hills and the trees and the fields, near the cows and the chickens and the pigs. A girl can surely hope but what she gains in the end is far greater - a trip down memory lane, the chance to witness a love that endures and the chance to walk in someone's moccasins. This is a story that lingers on and continues to occupy my thoughts long after I have finished reading.

In the grand scheme of things, what really matters to us?


Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: 23 Dec 2003

*** Favourite Quote 1 ***

In the course of a lifetime, what does it matter?

*** Favourite Quote 2 ***

Sometimes you know in your heart you love someone, but you have to go away before your head can figure it out.

*** Favourite Quote 3 ***

You can't keep the birds of sadness from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair.

~ Walk Two Moons
Sharon Creech

@}--->>--->>-----

"How about a story? Spin us a yarn."
Instantly, Phoebe Winterbottom came to mind. "I could tell you an extensively strange story," I warned.
"Oh, good!" Gram said. "Delicious!"
And that is how I happened to tell them about Phoebe, her disappearing mother, and the lunatic.

As Sal entertains her grandparents with Phoebe's outrageous story, her own story begins to unfold — the story of a thirteen-year-old girl whose only wish is to be reunited with her missing mother.

*Blurb from Goodreads*

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