Iona Moon

Perceived as provincial and uncivilized by the people of White Falls, Idaho, Iona Moon discovers that the two boys she allowed to have sex with her inhabit a world as cruel and unforgiving as her own

No one can leave White Falls, Idaho, including protagonist Iona Moon. The people of the town save up all the hurts and unkindnesses they have ever suffered, brooding over them like Macbeth's witches. The result is a community that wallows in bitterness, self-pity, and guilt, with social consequences such as alcoholism, incest, and suicide. Surrounded by violence, death, and general melancholia, Iona finally leaves town, but in Seattle she discovers that she cannot leave herself behind. In the end, she returns to White Falls in order to make peace with her inner self and in the process, she discovers hope. Thon's ( Girls in the Grass , LJ 4/15/91) characters are vivid and vulgar; her descriptions are stark, her prose well crafted, her story brimming with despair. Recommended for public and academic libraries.
- Joanna M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Coll. of Continuing Education Lib., Providence
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.