Days by Moonlight
by André Alexis; André Alexis
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Pub Date Apr 02 2019 | Archive Date Aug 27 2019
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Description
Gulliver’s Travels meets The Underground Railroad: a road trip through the countryside – and the psyche – by the author of Fifteen Dogs.
Botanist Alfred Homer, ever hopeful and constantly surprised, is invited on a road trip by his parents’ friend, Professor Morgan Bruno, who wants company as he tries to unearth the story of the mysterious poet John Skennen. But this is no ordinary road trip. Alfred and the Professor encounter towns where Black residents speak only in sign language and towns that hold Indigenous Parades; it is a land of house burnings, werewolves, and witches.
Complete with Alfred’s drawings of plants both real and implausible, Days by Moonlight is a Dantesque journey taken during the “hour of the wolf,” that time of day when the sun is setting and the traveller can’t tell the difference between dog and wolf. And it asks that perpetual question: how do we know the things we know are real, and what is real anyway?
“A mash-up that is part fabulism, part faux biography, and part satire, Days by Moonlight conveys the experience of grief, managing to transform its inarticulable and symbolic weight into a finely wrought literary work.” —Quill and Quire
A Note From the Publisher
Canadian Publication: Feb 9th, 2019
Advance Praise
Praise for The Hidden Keys
“[R]aces along with the irrepressibility of an Ealing comedy, blending farce, danger and oddball philosophy with ease.”—John Boyne, author of The Heart’s Invisible Furies in The Irish Times
“This gorgeously written, funny adventure tale will keep readers up finishing it while also quietly breaking their hearts with Alexis’s keen observations of people, kindness, and cruelty.”—Publishers Weekly (starred)
“I loved this smart, exuberant fantasy from start to finish.”—Jonathan Gibbs, The Guardian
“Highly entertaining.”—Globe & Mail
Praise for Fifteen Dogs
Winner 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize;
Winner 2015 Writers Trust Rogers Prize
“An elegant cross-breed of magical realism, moral fable, owner's handbook and philosophical treatise.”—Frances Wilson, New Statesman Books of the Year
“[A] tender and elegant exploration of the perpetual problem of human consciousness, and the ways that gift is likewise a curse.”—National Post
“[A] startlingly original novel as thought-provoking as it is enjoyable.”—The Independent
“A really meaty read that will leave you thinking long after the last pages.”—Nichole McCown, Bookshop Santa Cruz
“Thought-provoking and moving”—Good Housekeeping
Praise for Pastoral
“To gauge Pastoral purely in terms of the incidents that occupy its plot, we would seem to be in the realm of lightly comic, quirky yet fundamentally earnest Canadiana, but let me assure you that the tone and timbre of the prose and the ontological temperament of the central characters sweeps the imagination far from the homey threshold of the Vinyl Café. This novel’s pleasures indeed include a rich sense of place, but that sense comes without sentimentality, and that place is something one might just as easily flee from as call home. Pastoral beauty is certainly on offer, but Alexis’ fluid, evocative descriptions of the rural wonders that surround Barrow are much more than nostalgia for a childhood idyll or mere reverie for revere’s sake — they constitute the very heart of Pastoral’s unresolved/unresolvable crisis of faith. Pastoral is about living with the uncertainty of death’s hour, of love’s constancy, of God’s existence or nature’s indifference.”—National Post
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781552453797 |
| PRICE | $17.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 224 |
Featured Reviews
Kim R, Reviewer
I was already filled with adoration for this book when I landed on a section that references Andre Alexis' Pastoral, and then I fell even harder for the book. Once again writing the author within his own story gives a nice sensation similar to brain freeze after eating too much ice cream too fast. There also seemed to be a relation to his work Beauty and Sadness here.
This is the fourth in the quincunx that I have read but it is the fifth in the quincunx according to the author. If you find this statement confusing then it is likely that the work of Mr. Alexis is not for you. Of course I could be wrong, and I often am.
Had you asked me any time before starting this book if I would ever read a passage written by Andre Alexis that deals solely with farting and flatulence, I would have laughed in your face. Well color me surprised to find such a passage in this book. I shall also report that said passage had me roaring with laughter.
Everything about this story is so engaging and easy to read. There are many literary references that any avid reader will notice and enjoy.
The problem with the quincunx for me is that I selfishly want more out of every book. More about the story itself, more about the lead and/or supporting characters. But each one is a work of art that stands on it's own.
In short: I found this book fascinating, just as I have found every work by Andre Alexis. However, this book in particular seemed to have a more personal feel, lots of dashes of reality twining in with the sumptuous fiction. This is not a travelogue but the book takes the reader on a wild ride along with the main characters. After reading works by Andre Alexis I sometimes find it hard to go back to other works of fiction. It is as if the writing produces subtle changes in the reader that subsist after reading. Just a kink in your reality.
Thanks to Coach House books and NetGalley for this chance to read an advance copy.
Richard B, Reviewer
Days by Moonlight, a fantastical journey through the underworld of southern Ontario, follows two companions on their journey to discover the fate of the poet John Skennen. Professor Morgan Bruno is a fumbling academic driven by research on his favorite poet. His assistant, Alfred Homer, has suffered great loss recently and needs the distraction of this trip. Inadvertently the two enter an incredible, almost mystical world in Days by Moonlight, the fourth novel in Alexis’s quincunx 5 that in his words “is one project that is taking forever”.
Alfred Homer has lost his parents recently and now his girlfriend has left. He is convinced to travel with a family friend on a research field trip. Alfred being a botanist is told there will be time to collect and catalogue plants along the way but he has little time for that. The two friends visit family and friends of John Skeenen and learn all sorts of hidden facts about the poet and what happened to him. In the meantime, they are touched by the broader issues of religion, poverty, racism, and sexuality in Canada. How they handle what they witness reveals the true person within the two travellers. One thing for certain is that they are both changed forever.
Alexis has an easy flowing way of telling a story. The novel is simple and almost whimsical at times, but its intention is quite profound as it makes references to very serious ongoing issues in Canada (and globally).
The novel is part of five novels that will be interlocked (quincunx 5). “Pastoral” was the first followed by “Fifteen Dogs”, “Hidden Keys” and now “Days by Moonlight”. The fifth is yet to come. Of course the only way to judge the work as a whole will be to read all five, which I fully intend to do as soon as they are available.
I highly recommend this book for a number of reasons. Firstly it is an entertaining story that stands alone. Secondly, in a unique manner, it brings to light a number of serious issues that Canadians should not and cannot deny. And lastly, for those that like the literary form a quincunx is a collection of 5 novels that employ forgotten or abandoned literary forms to create contemporary stories. Who would want to miss that? I give it a 5 on 5.
I want to thank NetGalley and Coach House Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
Allison T, Reviewer
In Days by Moonlight, readers are treated to the story of an unusual road trip abound southern Ontario, as told from the perspective of the book’s easy-going main character, Alfred Homer. The narrator makes several references to the trip as a journey into the underworld, and as you get into the meat of the novel, it becomes clear that this underworld is one of Canadian identity.
Alexis touches on religion, economics, racism, and even Canadian sexuality in a way that is mostly comical and satirical, but also endearing on occasion. It’s difficult to classify Days by Moonlight into a particular genre, but it is definitely a critique of Canadian identity that I won’t soon forget. I adore Alexis’ dreamlike writing style and I look forward to reading more of his books.
Thank you to NetGalley and Coach House Books for the ARC. I thought it was great!
Maggie R, Educator
I am a fan of Alexis having thoroughly enjoyed Pastoral and Asylum. I am reminded of the fine novelist Caryl Phillips who views life from the perspective of an emigrant and thus illuminates customs, beliefs and behaviors of the native born - in this case Canadians - with clarity and great wit.
Maryline D, Reviewer
"Days by Moonlight" by André Alexis.
My first time reading that author.
4 stars.
Well written, interesting, entertaining, not boring. I really liked it! It's easy to read, enjoyable, funny, weird, I really liked the narration, the style, the story, the dialogue. A nice road trip.
Also liked the drawings.
Thank you NetGalley and Coach House Books for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own!
Kelsi H, Reviewer
Days by Moonlight is an odd, clever critique of Canadian identity, presented as a road trip through southern Ontario. Sometimes confusing, otherwise laugh out loud funny, this strange little novel is yet another demonstration of Alexis' skill and diversity as a writer.
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