The Moonflowers: a mysterious family history in a small Appalachian town

The Moonflowers by Abigail Rose-Marie is a story about one woman’s journey to unravel her mysterious family history and the dark hidden history in one small town. Tig Costello arrives in Darren, Kentucky as part of the celebration honoring her late grandfather, Benjamin. His contributions to the town and his honorable war service has made him a local hero. As an artist, Tig is commissioned to paint his portrait but he is relatively unknown to her. In order to discover more about him, Tig seeks out the one person still alive who knew him. Eloise Price, the woman who murdered him fifty years ago and confined to a state mental institution. Eloise agrees to tell her stories. About herself, Tig’s grandmother, and the other brave women through Benjamin’s orbit. She reveals secrets of Whitmore Halls, the silent mansion on the hill, that lead to the day that would change Eloise’s life forever.

With its beautiful cover and its premise of a “powerful and poignant novel,” I was ready to read a story of past and present coming together for healing. What I got was a very slow moving story which seemed to be all over the place with no direction. The story was very hard to get into and I could not connect with Tig, Eloise or any of the other characters of this small town. By the end, it became a heavy handed discourse on the importance of abortion and how it saves lives. Even with the topic of abortion, which is hidden and revealed as if a plot twist, the story dragged that I did not care why Eloise killed Benjamin or what painful past Tig is running from. I was just glad the book was over. Overall, I did not enjoy this story and I do not recommend The Moonflowers. 

The Moonflowers is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook