Moon Tiger is a book I have wanted to read for a while after hearing it discussed on A Good Read. It is a slim novel and won The Booker Prize in 1987. It follows the life of Claudia, who is on her deathbed and composing the story of her life. The narrative shifts around to show a kaleidoscope of memories which alter how the reader views Claudia – a charismatic but often dislikeable character. It is a wonderful book with a pacy plot and many surprises, and is especially good at revealing how experiences can form layer after layer of a person’s character.
The title refers to incense: “a green coil that slowly burns all night, repelling mosquitoes, dropping away into lengths of grey ash, its glowing red eye a companion of the hot insect-rasping darkness.” It is only later into the book that I came to appreciate that this moment is at the burning heart of the novel, and I won’t spoil the story by describing what happens but the imagery and structure of the book all play on this idea of circularity with a single event at the centre. I haven’t read such a tightly and expertly crafted book in a while.
The book also felt very modern, although the main events of the novel span the second world war. A line which really stood out was when two characters are discussing their experiences of the war:
“When the times are out of joint it is brought uncomfortably home to you that history is true and that unfortunately you are a part of it. One has this tendency to think oneself immune.”
But despite being centred around the war, this is not just a book about that. The novel is about lives lived and lost, opportunities taken or missed, and the many different ways of loving and being loved. For a small book, there is a lot packed in and I found it an easy book to get lost in which is probably the best compliment I can give. It is also a book I could happily re-read and I’m sure I would get more from it.
A Literary Re-Education 