Turtle+Moon

=__**Turtle Moon**__=
 * Published: 1992**

=Author= Alice Hoffman = = =Nationality/Ethnic Background= American

=**Genre and Sub-genres**= Mystery Detective Literature

=Pertinent Biographical Information= Birthdate: March 16, 1952 Hoffman was born in New York City and grew up on Long Island. She earned a BA at Adelphi University and a MA in creative writing from Stanford University Creative Writing Center. She currently lives in Boston. She wrote her first novel, //Property Of//, when she was twenty-one at Stanford. She has published a total of twenty-one novels, three books of short fiction, and eight books for children and young adults. = = =Literary Historical Period/Movement and Pertinent Background= Modern Period (Presumably the 1980s) = = =Major Characters, Their Relationships, Their Conflicts= - Keith Rosen: Son of Lucy Rosen; "The Meanest Boy in Verity"; Finds baby Rachel in the laundry room and takes her. - Lucy Rosen: Mother of Kieth Rosen and a love/hate sexual acquaintance with Julian Cash (sleeps with Julian to get Keith from being accused for murder) - Julian Cash: A police officer for the town of Verity; Love/hate sexual acquaintance with Lucy Rosen (sleeps with Lucy as a deal to not report that he found Keith until Lucy finds out what her neighbor's real name is). Has a police dog named Arrow who helps in the investigation. - Rachel: The infant daughter of Bethany, the murdered mother. Keith takes the infant after finding her mother dead. - Randy: Bethany's ex husband and suspected murderer of Bethany. - Miss Giles: Julian's childhood care taker who takes in Keith and Rachel after being found by Julian. - Bethany Lee: The murdered woman. Ex wife of Randy and mother of Rachel. Real name is Karen. = = =Brief Plot Summary= After her recent divorce, Lucy Rosen and her troublesome son Keith move to Verity, Florida, a place well-known for weird happenings in the month of May and a refuge for single women. One night, a young, single mother is murdered in the apartment complex that the Rosens live in. Keith is the first to find the dead woman and her infant daughter, and because of his lack of relationship with his own mother, he takes on the responsibility to take care of her, and together they run away. Because of Keith's criminal record and his coincidental disappearance, the town connects Keith to the murder of the woman and the kidnapping of her child. In fear of Keith being charged, Lucy begins a relationship with the assigned officer of the case, Julian Cash. Keith and the infant are eventually found by Julian, but because of his growing feelings towards Lucy, he secretly hides them with Miss Giles. Lucy then goes to New York to find out more about "Bethany", the single mother whom was murdered in Verity. On suspicion that Randy, Bethany's ex husband and Lucy's former school mate, is the killer, Lucy befriends the suspect to gain information. After several outings with Randy, Lucy brings in Julian to help question Randy. The two soon find out that Randy had hired a man to kidnap Rachel, Bethany and Randy's infant daughter. However, Randy confesses that the man killed Bethany because she walked in during the kidnapping process. Julian and Lucy then dash back to Florida with information that the killer is now after Keith since he is a witness to the murder of Bethany. Julian makes it just in time to find the killer about to attack Keith. However, Keith is protected by Julian's trusted dog, Arrow, who has the killer in a mighty death grip. Julian is forced to kill Arrow since he would not release the killer. Julian thinks quick and buries the killer dog. The story is then made up that the dead man is both the murderer and kidnapper, which frees Keith from all suspicions. After weeks pass and the chaos quiets down, Keith decides to move back home with his father in New York. Lucy realizes just how much she loves her son, a feeling she hasn't felt for the deliquent in quite some time, as he boards the plane and exits her life forever. As the plane leaves the tarmac, Lucy and Julian conclude their relationship, and Julian confronts the tree where he killed his cousin, Bobby. He notices a light above him, and for once, he feels as rest. Bobby is no longer attached to spirit form, because he can leave Earth knowing that his cousin will cherish the life ahead of him. = = =Motifs (Recurring Images, Ideas, Figures of Speech, Symbols, Colors) & Their Thematic Significance=

> > Escape: > > Superstition:
 * Animals:
 * Arrow: Julian's dog; Arrow significantly reflects both Julian and Keith's isolated personality; Has to stay in an isolated kennel because he is dangerous.
 * Alligator: The alligator that Keith discovered and felt obligated to take care of reflects the how he himself feels. Because the alligator was young and all alone, Keith made a similar connection to it, feeling as though he doesn't have any parental comfort, especially from his own mother; creating his desire to care for it.
 * Sea Turtles: During the month of May, many sea turtles migrate. The turtles mistake the streetlights for the moon. Many of the characters referenced them on the road where a lot of them are dead.
 * Fake ID, New Haircut: These forms of deception are the characters means of escape from their past lives
 * Town of Verity: "In the past few years, there has been an influx of newcomers, lured by the low rents and wild hibiscus. As a result, Verity is now home to more divorced women from New York than any other town in the state of Florida." (pg. 3) This quote describes the purpose of the town of Verity. It is where divorced woman go to escape(motif) from their ex-husbands and start a new life. It is a hot place.
 * Coke, Cigarettes, Aspirin: Many characters (Julian especially) are seen either drinking Coca Cola, smoking, or taking a pill, usually in a time of distress. These objects are used by characters to preoccupy them form the worried that are happening in their lives.
 * Month of May: Many citizens of Verity associate the month with bad omens. For example, Julian caused the car crash in the month of May, Julian was born in May, and the entire plot of the novel starting with Bethany being murdered and Keith running off with her child occurred as well.
 * "Even people who are afraid of the dark know that the worst nightmares usually happen at noon. It may be because of the gravitational pull of the sun in the center of the ski, or simply because this is the hour when everyone's defenses are down, and they expect nothing more than bread and fruit." (Pg. 62)

=Other Significant Thematic Elements (Significant Character's Names, Significant Quotations, Significant Actions/Events)= In the novel __Turtle Moon__, the author chooses certain names for the characters to further express some of the themes in the work. First, Hoffman chose the name Lucy which means bringer of light and illumination. This is important for the reader to understand because with such knowledge the reader sees how all of the characters around Lucy come to many realizations when near her. Next Lucy’s son Keith’s name means dwells in the woods or warrior descending. With both meanings, the reader is able to comprehend the entirety of Keith’s character. Finally, Julian means youthful, or young at heart. With all of the separate meanings for the characters names, Hoffman allows a deeper insight to what the true feelings of the characters are, thus revealing the purpose of the themes shown throughout the novel. = = - "When the plane has disappeared and [Julian] asks Lucy is she needs a ride home, he knows she'll back away from him. It is, after all, the end of the month, the time when people begin to snap out of whatever sort of spell they've been under and realize how close they came to ruining their lives." (Pg. 285): The novel concludes with Julian and Lucy concluding their relationship. Julian perceives that the relationship only existed because of how the month of May conforms people to do irrational things, yet the reader knows that this is no true, as later on the novel, Lucy goes back to Julian's house, reminiscing over their relationship and how it concluded. The novel emphasizes how a superstition can lead one to think things were never real in the first place--a deception, yet how this isn't true at all.

-"There are thirteen divorced women in the building, and although they might reveal their baby-sitters’ phone numbers or meet for dinner at the Post Café, they never, ever speak about past histories. …they know what they all have in common: some hard disappointment, best forgotten, which has propelled them to Florida." (pg. 34): Displays the theme of people trying to get away and avoid their past, sometimes to hid secrets. Most divorced women moved to Florida to get away from their old life and to restart with just themselves or with their kids. Having this town being filled with people in the same position in life helps them get through forgetting their past. The author’s purpose is to show how people can go to extremes to get away from their past than to face it. By changing who they are, the place where the live, being around new faces helps get rid of the terrible memories.

In the novel __Turtle Moon__, the following themes are presented throughout the work:
 * Major Themes **


 * Unexpected situations in a persons's life cause growth, whether it is good or bad, thus causing people to change over time.
 * Ignorance causes pain.
 * People only see what they want to see.
 * Everyone tries to avoid the past, sometimes in order to hide secrets.
 * People consume themselves into superstition.

Hoffman, Alice. __Turtle Moon__. New York: Berkley Books, 1993.