Hello everyone and welcome to the Alabama Spotlight’s new segment where we highlight Alabama’s written works.
To be honest with you, dear readers, having never written a book review and being one of our crew at Sunrise that focuses a lot less on writing; I’ve found myself a little hesitant about the idea of being the one to highlight Alabama’s literature and written art. That being said, I’ve personally found myself on a bit of a reading kick, trying to recapture a smidgen of that excitement books used to provide after a good decade plus of other media fully consuming my still deteriorating attention. I hope these reviews not only help me in this goal but serve as a spotlight on Alabama’s rich literary culture. With all that out of the way the first spotlight shines on Watt Key’s “Alabama Moon.”
“Alabama Moon” was Watt Key’s debut novel published in 2006. It tells the story of Moon Blake — an eleven year old boy whose father raised him out in the woods of Alabama away from society — who decides to follow his father’s dying instructions to go to Alaska and hide from the government.
I have to say, “Alabama Moon” genuinely surprised me. Though it has acclaim and many awards, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it nearly as much as I did. The main reason I say this is because this is actually my second time reading it. My first time reading was in sixth grade. Somehow, it didn’t really leave an impact then and I didn’t remember anything about the book. I thought that meant something about its quality. I initially chose “Alabama Moon” from my list of potential books out of a mix of nostalgic curiosity and thinking it’d be an easy read to kick off these reviews. Then Watt Key blindsided me with a gripping coming of age story, one I found myself really enjoying.
So much care is put into the descriptions of the survival skills and the wilderness much of the story takes place in. Key presents so much love for nature the scenes become so easy to visualize. Many of these scenes had me reminiscing on places I’ve hiked around Alabama. Paired with these are some genuinely emotional moments, some of the strongest being when Moon writes “smoke messages” — letters he burns believing he can communicate with the dead. These letters emphasize the pain Moon is experiencing, not only from the loss of his father but also the confusion and anxiety that’s arrived with the upheaval of his forest dwelling lifestyle. They are also presented as handwritten notes. When the first letter appeared in chapter six, the scratchy and sloppy appearance really hammer home that these letters are written by a child in crisis. A masterful use of stylization.
Let’s talk about character, I actually have a positive but conflicted feeling towards this aspect. The book is written in first person, which means we see the entire story through Moon’s eyes. Other perspectives aren’t really explored in depth. Paired with the book’s fairly quick pacing, a good chunk of the cast feel a little inconsequential. The staff of Pinson, the boy’s home Moon is sent to, are glossed over, despite the location’s importance. Though when characters are allowed to flourish, they are quite compelling.
Moon is obviously the focal point of this story and, as such, he’s the most fleshed out character in the story. He’s depicted as a fantastic blend of highly competent with his survival skills, while also being incredibly hindered by his isolated upbringing. One chapter he’s making deer skin hats out of a doe he hunted with a bow he made, and then in another he’s trying to figure out how to ride in a car without getting sick. Though he has entrenched paranoia from his father’s teaching, Moon is such a good natured character when he interacts with others that aren’t immediately confrontational he’s quite endearing.
Kit and Hal are two boys Moon befriends when he’s admitted to the Pinsons Boys’ home, and are the two supporting characters with the strongest characterization. Kit is a chronically ill and lonely child who is fascinated with the wilderness and determined to keep up with Moon and his wild antics. Hal is a troubled boy looking for any way to get back to his father, whose rough exterior is slowly chipped away. Both end up being very fun companions for Moon. The contrast in how the two react to the wilderness and adapt to Moon’s ways being a highlight.
Then there is the antagonist Constable Sanders, best described as a malicious idiot. Whenever he’s present, he brings a certain level of tension, as he’s a genuine threat to the boys and particularly violent towards Moon. His presence is a reminder of everything Moon’s father tried to warn Moon of. He blatantly abuses his power, mainly through his cruelty and violence, especially towards anyone he deems as lesser such as when he shows off to Moon by hitting a struggling man who rents a home from him. He’s a good representation of severely misplaced power and he’s a strong villain despite becoming a bit of a joke by the end of the story.
Another stand out character is Moon’s father, or “Pap,” which is odd seeing as for most of the book he’s dead. A lot of his characterization comes from the few people who knew him, Moon included. Parts involving him were pretty captivating, particularly reading about his paranoia and how it impacted his behaviour towards Moon in the early chapters. Learning what drove him to take his family and hide out in the woods had me sucked in and making guesses at what made him so detached from civilization.
The main driving force of the story is the clash between Moon’s goals to reach Alaska and the actions of the adults he comes into contact with along the way. At the start, we see the general distrust that’s been instilled in him through descriptions of the training for his fathers envisioned standoff he calls “the war.” This distrust, and Moon’s adherence to his father’s tenets, cause all of his problems, and the first couple of people he encounters don’t help with the delusion.
A local general store owner Mr. Abroscotto and the lawyer Mr. Wellington are the first to damage his trust, both lie to him and reach out to officials to get Moon somewhere he can get help. Though well intentioned, their deceptions lock in his distrust of those outside the woods. Then scuffles with Constable Sanders and how he’s treated in jail lead Moon to buy in even further into his father’s warnings about “the law.” In contrast later on, when Moon begins to encounter kindness, through characters like Hal’s father, Mr. Mitchel, and a reintroduction to Mr. Wellington — who has a redemption arc in helping Moon later on to make up for his betrayal. These acts of kindness help Moon start to realize a lot of what his father taught him about the people outside the forest wasn’t fully accurate.
Rereading “Alabama Moon” as an adult, I feel themes, such as the importance of forming your own thoughts and the impact adults have on children’s world views, landed a lot better with me on this go. However, the commentary on broad systems/institutions not working for everyone was a little too heavy handed, with a judge later on almost saying it verbatim. I think this particular message didn’t really come across very well because the chapter’s where Moon is institutionalized in the boy’s home, he’s pretty much just enjoying the luxuries of civilization while being too bull-headed to stay there.
All in all, “Alabama Moon” is an easy read with a good helping of depth. I fully recommend it to anyone looking for a fun story with a bit of childish wonder.
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