As sisters, Jazz and Olivia Moon could not be more different. Jazz is practical and sensible, and since she’s the older sister she’s also had to be responsible for Olivia, a free spirit who tends to wander where her dreams take her. When their mother dies, most likely from suicide, they respond as expected. Jazz bottles up her emotions and wants to move on. Olivia wants to fulfill her mother’s dream by traveling to the cranberry bogs of West Virginia in search of an elusive natural phenomenon that will complete her story.

Setting off together, the two encounter unexpected obstacles and meet others who will change the course of their journey—tattoo-covered Hobbs whose ink seems to hide more than his skin and crusty Red Grass, who has a hidden interest of his own. As their stories converge, secrets are revealed that threaten to tear them all apart.

The Moon Sisters by Therese Walsh is a story of sisters, mothers and daughters, and the ways that family members can both hurt each other and lift each other up. Lyrically told, the story shows how the secrets we hold close push away those who may help us deal with the difficulties in life.

Even though the sisters are so different, Walsh brilliantly captures the essence of each, revealing their flaws, strengths and vulnerabilities. I found myself lingering over passages, taking in the words to consider their meaning beyond the story Walsh created. I highly recommend The Moon Sisters for adult book clubs or mother-daughter groups with girls aged 16 and up. Issues to discuss include expectations put on family members and how that can affect behavior, making judgments about those who are different than us, forgiveness, and meeting family obligations versus following your dreams.

The publisher gave me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

For more information about Walsh and her book, check out my post yesterday about sisterhood and the blog tour to celebrate the book release.