A review by shelleyann01
Halibut on the Moon by David Vann

4.0

A storm in close, everything bending and blown. And when the wind accelerates, nothing is ready for that...but it all bends and comes back.

From the first sentence, I knew Halibut on the Moon would be an emotional read. Vann created a flawed character that readers cannot help but worry about. Every time I closed the book, my mind would wander and think about Jim. As the book progressed, I began to slowly turn the pages out of fear and dread about what was waiting around the corner. Vann honestly wrote about the messiness of bi-polar disorder.

I can’t be saved, there are too many hours alone. It just goes on and on and everything hurts. My whole body hurts.

The book starts strong, beautifully creating the backdrop for an unusual story that reflects perseverance of the soul more than anything else. The use of a main character with bi-polar disorder was unique and intriguing. Halibut on the Moon will grab your heart and keep you involved. You will feel deep emotion as the story unfolds and you will experience the stress of the players as the author vivdly describes their feelings.

Wouldn’t everyone be happy to be finished with Jim, including Jim ? We all want to be finished with Jim.

This is one of the most moving books I have read in a long, long time. It is painful and wonderful and awful, all at the same time. The story of a man with serious bi-polar disorder. It was so beautifully written, and the characters were so interesting I enjoyed every moment of the emotional journey. Jim's voice, even through his pain, made me think about love, sacrifice, death, and the meaning of it all and showed the strength, any person who deals with mental illness, needs to just live day by day. I was fascinated by the glimpses into bipolar disorder.

Time isn’t this thing you have to get through. It’s nothing. Just live your life.

What an incredible poignant book, Halibut on the Moon is a book that will make you laugh, cry and remain hopeful through the dark seasons of life. David Vann is a talented author with the gift of capturing the raw and real emotions of having mental health issues. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley, Grove Atlantic/Grove Press and David Vann for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

#HalibutOnTheMoon #NetGalley

All my reviews can be found on my blog: https://shelleyann01.blogspot.com