Moonrise by Sarah Crossan
5 Stars Reviewed By Lara
‘They think I hurt someone. But I didn’t. You hear? Coz people are gonna be telling you all kinds of lies. I need you to know the truth.’ From one-time winner and two-time Carnegie Medal shortlisted author Sarah Crossan, this poignant, stirring, huge-hearted novel asks big questions. What value do you place on life? What can you forgive? And just how do you say goodbye?
It seems like such a cliche to describe a novel written in free verse as lyrical, but Moonrise by Sarah Crossan hits the spot in a beautiful way. Joe Moon, 17, is from New York. For the past ten years of his life, his brother, Ed, has been on death row. Now the execution date is in place, Joe sets off to Texas to spend time with his brother, clinging on to what hope that’s left that he’ll have a successful appeal.
As Moonrise is written in verse, there is a significant stylistic difference across the board in comparison to your average contemporary young adult fiction. General characterization isn’t as in depth, but the candid verse makes up for it in emotion where intricate detail is lacking. The plot isn’t as elongated, but the writing style should carry the reader’s interest. There are too many to name, but Moonrise seemed to tick all the boxes.
Joe narrates the powerful and harrowing countdown to his brother’s death date. Because of their early separation, he has a child-like adoration of Ed, which makes the whole scenario even more heartbreaking.
“But you never put it on your calendar, X Marks the spot - let’s get the headstone in a Black Friday sale and have the name chiseled into it. You can never usually plan on death like that.”
The small cast of characters was perfect, it created a wide enough range to explore different themes such as family, loss, love, and responsibility. At the same time, every character served their intended roles beautifully, each utilizing their distinct and powerful voices. It’s rare I finish a book able to gush about every single character, but when I finished Moonrise they all stuck long after the last page.
Commentating on police brutality and the legal system from the perspective of a white male was really different to what I’ve been reading recently and I’m glad reference was made to the lives of African American’s who too often are lucky to even make it into custody alive - “People care big time about white police officers and I’m just surprised they never tried to stitch up some black guy. Loads of black guys on the row say they got stitched up and you gotta believe them if you see the news and all these cops shooting guys cos they’re walking down a dark street or whatever”
This albeit small representation I think was very necessary given the poignancy of the matter for black communities. Aside from this, Sarah Crossan communicates the desperate helplessness in the justice system. It is never stated officially whether Ed did or did not commit the crime, however, the emotion that is demonstrated through Sarah’s verse is enough to make even staunch believers re-think the death penalty. Using a young narrator to achieve this point was a fantastic tool as he breaks down such a complex discussion so seamlessly - Why is it fair that my brother is sentenced to death for a crime he could have been otherwise left alive for if he committed it in a different state? Living in Australia, we don’t have the death penalty, so it has never something that has come up for major discussion in a way that would really hit home. Ignorance is bliss is the only way I can describe my lack of a stance on the issue. However, this novel was so thought-provoking without preaching, it created an internal dialogue. I can’t remember the last time a book had affected me that much.
Due to the simplistic nature of the book, it’s hard to say much more without toeing the line of spoilers. Do yourself a favour and pick this book up. If you don’t like or haven’t read a novel in verse, it’s a fantastic introduction. Sarah Crossan’s fluid writing and gut-wrenching story will absolutely have you white-knuckling the book through every excruciatingly heartbreaking and heartwarming page.
Thank you, Bloomsbury for a copy of Moonrise in exchange for an honest review! For more information, visit the Goodreads page or author’s Website!
