Title: Moonglow
Author: Michael Chabon
Genre: biography, fiction (both, believe it or not!)
Read Great Things 2020 Categories: book with a one-word title, bildungsroman (maybe)
Why did you choose to read this book?
I have read four of Chabon’s other novels; I liked three of those very much and hated the other one (Gentlemen of the Road). I think The Yiddish Policemen’s Union is my favorite of his novels.
My sister-in-law gave me her copy of Moonglow last year, so I read it.
What did you like about it?
I like Michael Chabon’s enormous vocabulary and he chooses his words carefully. Even though I regularly consult a dictionary while reading his books, I find him to be an engaging storyteller; also, I learn a lot of new words!
Chabon set out both to write a novel and tell the story of his grandfather’s life in Moonglow. He is deliberately ambiguous about what is fact and what is fiction in the book. Periodic footnotes lend a feeling of historical accuracy, while vivid details of his (unnamed) grandfather’s life make it clear that this is a work of fiction.
The premise is that Chabon’s reserved, quiet grandfather opened up to Chabon on his deathbed, tongue loosened by the drug Dilaudid, which he took to ease his pain. The grandfather told stories of his life as a boy in a working-class Philadelphia neighborhood; espionage work during World War II; meeting his wife, a war refugee from France, in Baltimore; his arrest and time in prison; and his life-long obsession with space travel.
Chabon interweaves these stories with his mother’s recollections, his memories of his grandparents, and his own research. He creates a gripping story of his father’s difficult, tragic life and the beauty and love that nonetheless go along with the travails.
Does this book remind you of another book?
A man researching his family’s past echoes The Nix, which was the best novel I read last year. The requirement of a dictionary at hand reminds me of reading Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher. Chabon’s storytelling reminds me of Jonathan Franzen’s novels.
Is there anything noteworthy about the book?
Moonglow was a finalist for the 2016 National Book Critics Circle Awards.
With what feeling did the book leave you?
I was satisfied when I finished the book. It is kind of a long book and I laughed out loud multiple times; I may have cried once or twice as well. The graphic depictions of life in Germany toward the end of World War II were heart-wrenching. I am heartened to read about people who have overcome much greater tragedy and suffering than I have these days.
Who else might like this book?
I think this book would appeal to a range of readers: people interested in memoir, biography, literature, or the history of space travel; fans of Michael Chabon; engineers or future engineers; and people in the military would benefit from reading this book.
By the way, I have left out a lot of major details about this book.
With what would you pair this book?
Model rockets, like the ones I built, painted, and launched with my father!
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