When the Moon goddess cries, her silver tears fall into the ocean and form pearls – Tears of the Moon.
Losing your Mother marks the time when you are a woman in your own right; perhaps a time for reflection; a reminder of your own mortality or a time to start a new journey. Going through her deceased Mother’s papers, Lily discovers a string of magnificent pearls with a beautiful, unusual pendant. Among the photos and other memorabilia of her Mother’s life, she also finds a photo of a man in vintage clothes, looking a little like an old fashioned sailing master – but who is he?
Lily puts the pearls around her neck and immediately feels a sense of attachment, but also of something more; it is as if wearing them gives her a sense of belonging to the pearls and their history. But what is the history, where did they come from, who owned them? Vaguely she recalls visiting her grandmother in Perth as a young girl and the pearls being put around her neck and being told they will one day be hers.
With these questions in her mind, Lily starts a journey into the past. In a museum in Broome she finds the identity of the man in the picture John Tyndall and the journals of Olivia Hennessy. Much of Tears of the Moon is set in 19th and early 20th century Broome and tell the story of a pearling company Star of the Sea. We are lead on a journey of discovery of the people who populated the area, Japanese, Islander, Aboriginal and European.
One of my library book club members remarked that she likes to learn from her reading and read this book for its insight into early pearling practices. There is a much to learn about pearling, but even more to learn about John and Amy Tyndall, Olivia, Conrad and Hamish Hennessy, Ahmed, Yoshi, Miah, Minnie and what part they play in Lily’s heritage.
Di Morrissey has a real talent for characterization; the people in her books are very much alive; they are a mixture of the good the bad and the ugly and sometimes all three in one person. For those who don’t like books which jump in time, don’t be put off by the fact that this book spans 100 years; in the main the story is chronological. For me it is a really great read and should be followed by Kimberley Sun, which continues Lily’s story.
The cover blurb states “Two inspiring journeys. Two unforgettable women. One amazing story,” sounds good to me.
I’m really looking forward to your view on Tears if the Moon, please share.
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