The New Moon's Arms

Nalo Hopkinson
Warner Books (2007)
ISBN 9780446576918  
Reviewed by Beverly Pechin for Reader Views (1/07)

The author does a wonderful job of combining a bit of fantasy with a touch of romance and just a dab of reality to create a story with such great depth that the reader is carried away into a whole new world.

Chastity never really had it "good." A teen mother, pregnant from her first sexual encounter, she lived in the shadows of a world that never seemed right. Her mother disappeared from her life with no real answer as to what happened. Her father was always rather aloof about her life, sometimes showing signs of truly caring for her while in the next breath making her feel as though she was worthless. Her best friend had become her worst enemy. She lived in poverty and never knew the real world in any other way then what she saw from her own tarnished heart as she grew up.

Fast forward to a time when Chastity becomes "Calamity," even if everyone on the island won't call her by the new name she's chosen to use. She deals with the death of her father, the too typical lack of finances, a romantic situation that she's not so sure if she should welcome or run from and top it off with "the change of life." Could anything else go wrong in her now crazy life? Well of course. Add on another complete stranger, attractive, sexy and younger that sweeps her off her feet. And if that's not enough, save the life of a child who washes up from the sea and feel the need to be there for the child. Calamity finds herself becoming a mother again as she opts to care for this special little boy who's parents were found washed up from the sea dead. But this is no ordinary boy.

Calamity has always had a sixth sense about her and it seems like this is just the beginning of this sense going rampant through her body. Is it the fact that she's going through menopause or is there more to it than meets the eye? Suddenly, things from the past appear out of nowhere. Her childhood toys drop from the sky. Whole groves suddenly are growing in an orchard that had long since been left to its own despair. Her pantry is suddenly filled to the ceiling, but not because she filled it.

Realizing that some of the mysteries of the island she has grown up on could possibly be truth, she takes on a whole new direction in life at a moment when most are realizing their life is no longer able to be changed. The boy she's rescued seems to truly be "unique" in a way that only certain locals can understand and she knows she has to protect him from the real world around them. Can she end up saving this child and making him live a "normal" life? Does she really want to? And what about the 2 lovers she's attracted to? Which one should she choose? And can she ever make amends with her own daughter for the choices she made as a teen mother? Can she let go of the pain she's carried with her throughout her entire life?

As she deals with family issues and issues of her own maturity, Calamity finds that nothing in her world is what it seems and much of her world is like a fantasy gone wild. She has a chance to make a difference and do things right this time, but will she blow it? From finding out truths of those around her to finding out the truth about herself, this "change of life" will truly end up being a life of change.

Packed with fantasy, romance and tragedy you'll never find a dull moment in this colorful story about "Sea People," family, coming to grips with your own past and a touch of romance. Calamity is a woman of full character that will bind your heart the instant you meet her in “The New Moon’s Arms.” From her spitfire personality to her own self doubt you can't help but fall in love with her and cheer for her to finally find peace in her life.

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