Moonglow (novel)

Moonglow

Author	Michael Chabon
Language	English
Subject	Memoir
Publisher	Harper
Publication date	November 22, 2016
Publication place	United States
Media type	Hardback
Pages	430 [1]
ISBN	978-0-06-222555-9 (Hardcover)

Moonglow is a 2016 novel by Michael Chabon. The book chronicles the life of Chabon's grandfather, a WW2 soldier, engineer and rocket enthusiast who marries a troubled Jewish survivor from France and lives a challenging, wandering life in postwar America. Chabon tells the story using a mixture of strict memoir and creative fiction writing. ^[1] The narrator functions as a proxy for the author, Chabon. ^{[1] [2]}

Plot summary

The novel is about the story of the author's (Chabon) grandfather. Throughout the book, the grandfather's name is not referred to.

The story is sort of a memoir, jumping around in time. It starts with the narrator stating how his grandfather was arrested.

Reception

Sam Sacks writing for The Wall Street Journal appreciated the non-fiction elements of the novel in contrast to Chabon's other works. Sacks said, "Moonglow is a movingly bittersweet novel that balances wonder with lamentation." ^[3] For The New York Times , Michiko Kakutani found that, "Mr. Chabon weaves these knotted-together tales together into a tapestry that’s as complicated, beautiful and flawed as an antique carpet. […] Although 'Moonglow' grows overly discursive at times, it is never less than compelling when it sticks to the tale of Mike's grandparents — these damaged survivors of World War II who bequeath to their family a legacy of endurance, and an understanding of the magic powers of storytelling to provide both solace and transcendence". ^[4] In the Sunday New York Times Book Review, critic A.O. Scott wrote, "Whatever else it is — a novel, a memoir, a pack of lies, a mishmash — this book is beautiful." ^[5]

The book was discussed in January 2017 on BBC Radio 4's Saturday Review . ^[6]

Moonglow was a finalist for the 2016 National Book Critics Circle Award in fiction. ^[7]

References

1. Scott, A.O. (November 18, 2016). "Michael Chabon Returns With a Searching Family Saga". The New York Times . Retrieved December 1, 2016.
2. "Michael Chabon's 'Moonglow' is a cunning dance with autobiography".
3. Sacks, Sam (November 25, 2016). "Michael Chabon's Age of Heroes". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved December 1, 2016.
4. Kakutani, Michiko (November 14, 2016). "In Michael Chabon's 'Moonglow,' Deathbed Stories Illuminate an Era". The New York Times . New York City. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
5. Scott, A.O. (November 20, 2016). "Michael Chabon Returns With a Searching Family Saga". The New York Times . New York City. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
6. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe; Interviewed guests: Kate Williams, Maria Delgado, David Benedict; Producer: Oliver Jones (January 14, 2017). "La La Land, Manchester By The Sea, Michael Chabon, Wish List at The Royal Court, Charles Avery". Saturday Review. 09:27 minutes in. BBC. BBC Radio 4 . Retrieved January 14, 2017.
7. Alter, Alexandra (January 17, 2017). "Zadie Smith and Michael Chabon Among National Book Critics Circle Finalists". New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2019.