Untying the Moon

Book excerpt: A woman’s journey of self-discovery takes her across the coastal South and on to Alaska in this “beautifully written” novel (Foreword Reviews). A child of the South Carolina lowcountry, Bailey Martin is in perpetual motion. A marine biologist by training and an artist by nature, she is a woman of contradictions: a free-spirited adventurer who is at the same time deeply committed to her family and the environment. Restless and troubled, Bailey sets out in her ‘67 Skylark convertible, from Manhattan down the eastern seaboard, from coastal Carolina to the Alaskan wilderness and back again, all in search of the embrace of love and—finally—of home. Along the way, Bailey connects with some of the most important people and places in her life. She visits her fisherman father and falls in love with a troubled Vietnam veteran; she reflects on the beauty of nature, the devastations of oil spills and violent storms, and her own past. Set in the 1980s, Untying the Moon explores the redemptive powers of nature, creation, and storytelling itself. With prose that ebbs and flows from the lyrical and lush to the staccato and sparse, Untying the Moon is rich with classical allusions and regional folklore, the beauty of its settings, a diverse cast of characters, and all the mystery and magic of fate. Foreword by New York Times best-selling author Pat Conroy