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Moon Road

Moon Road

Summary

For fans of Elizabeth Strout and Barbara Kingsolver: Beautifully observed portrait of marriage, divorce and reconciliation as an estranged couple go on a road trip to uncover a family mystery.

'A darker, gruffer Elizabeth Strout' THE TIMES
'Sarah Leipciger is a consummate storyteller' RACHEL JOYCE
'Tough, tender, wonderful' JOANNA QUINN, author of The Whalebone Theatre
'A
sucker-punch of a novel' GRAZIA
'Kathleen is a wonderful character, spiky and obstinate, but also vulnerable and big-hearted’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
_____

It’s irksome to her, how well she knows this man, how much he has changed and how exactly the same he is ...

Kathleen and Yannick have not spoken for nineteen years, not since what happened with their daughter.

Now, there’s unexpected news from the other side of the country, and the call for a road trip they can only make together.

As they rattle over two thousand miles in a pick-up, through forests, over mountains and into service stations, an alluring history reveals itself: of fierce love, complicated ex-wives and headstrong children, and of a unique bond that never really went away.

As they drive, argue, gossip and reminisce, an unexpected future for this once estranged couple begins to emerge.

MOON ROAD captures the wonder and grief of watching our children grow up; of recovering from long buried pain, and rediscovering those closest to us when we think we know all there is to know; and of learning to live and love in a completely new way.

‘Delicately observed, forceful and moving, this story of love, family bonds
and the agony of loss is utterly absorbing - and so beautifully written' LUCY ATKINS

‘A beautifully imagined portrait…a melancholy, meditative and simply gorgeously written story about two people, and enduring love' WOMAN AND HOME

‘A truly divine book, I loved both its simplicity and depth’ PRIMA book of the month

'A road trip into the human heart. Generously alive' FRANCIS SPUFFORD

'Fierce, tragic, lyrical. I just loved it' CLAIRE FULLER

Reviews

  • Moon Road reads like a darker, gruffer blue-collar version of Elizabeth Strout’s novel, Oh, William! ... a slow-burn story about people who are learning to live with the unthinkable and the unknowable. Leipciger has written an intelligent, nuanced book that doesn’t let off fireworks or rely on catchy concepts. Instead, she places her faith in quiet observations about the contradictory elements that make up our relationship with ourselves and those we love. It is, refreshingly, a novel for grown-ups.
    Johanna Thomas-Corr, THE TIMES

About the author

Sarah Leipciger

Born and raised in Canada, Sarah Leipciger lives in London with her three children. She is Associate Lecture in Creative Writing at Birkbeck University and also teaches at City Lit London. Her short fiction has been shortlisted for the Asham Award, the Fish Prize and the Bridport Prize. She is the author of the critically acclaimed THE MOUNTAIN CAN WAIT (2015) and COMING UP FOR AIR (2020). MOON ROAD is her third novel.
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