Hang the Moon blends true events in American history with the English Tudor dynasty with King Henry VIII and his multiple wives and his daughter who becomes Queen Elizabeth I. The names of the characters reflect this background: Seymour, Jane, Tom, Eddie, etc. “Duke” Kincaid runs a hillbilly Virginia town during the time of the American Prohibition. He’s already on wife #3 when his daughter Sallie causes an accident that imperils his sole male heir. As punishment, she’s packed off to live in poverty with an old maid aunt. Nine years later, Duke sends for Sallie, and she must learn her new place in her old world.
Though a woman, she wants a life of independence. Having seen the wanton emotional destruction caused by Duke’s series of wives and encountered men, including the one man she nearly marries, who can’t keep their pants on and who plow through women with a sense of droit de seigneur, Sallie refuses to marry. She’s resilient, mouthy, and tough, with a strong back bone and a moral compass that defines her interactions with early 20th century American people and beliefs. As she grows into her new role as the Duke’s sole heir, she faces misogyny, patriarchal beliefs, class divisions, racial segregation, religious persecution, and a feud between the Kincaids and the Bonds (the War of the Roses).
Author Walls wrote The Glass Castle which remains a New York Times bestseller, and Hang the Moon shows some of the same characteristics: a dysfunctional family with a weak wife and son, a dominating father who is adored by his daughter and whom he treats poorly. The prose here is surprisingly taut, and the characters ring true. I enjoyed reading this and pulling the strands of the Tudor era into the 20th century.
********************
Hang the Moon (Scribner, March 28, 2023) is available through:
********************
This post may contain Amazon Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small amount from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.
