Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was

A Novel

By: Sjon, Victoria Cribb - translator

Narrated by: Vikas Adam

The mind-bending miniature historical epic is Sjon's specialty, and Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was is no exception. But it is also Sjon's most realistic, accessible, and heartfelt work yet. It is the story of a young man on the fringes of a society that is itself at the fringes of the world - at what seems like history's most tumultuous, perhaps ultimate moment.

Mani Steinn is queer in a society in which the idea of homosexuality is beyond the furthest extreme. His city, Reykjavik in 1918, is homogeneous and isolated and seems entirely defenseless against the Spanish flu, which has already torn through Europe, Asia, and North America and is now lapping up on Iceland's shores. And if the flu doesn't do it, there's always the threat that war will spread all the way north.

And yet the outside world has also brought Icelanders cinema! And there's nothing like a dark, silent room with a film from Europe flickering on the screen to help you escape from the overwhelming threats - and adventures - of the night, to transport you, to make you feel like everything is going to be all right.

For Mani Steinn, the question is whether, at Reykjavik's darkest hour, he should retreat all the way into this imaginary world or if he should engage with the society that has so soundly rejected him.

©2013 Sjon; Translation: 2016 Victoria Cribb (P)2016 Recorded Books

opening scene distasteful

the opening scene is a rather rough and graphic homo-pediphile encounter which turned me off and I stopped listening. a few weeks later I reluctantly returned and discovered a well crafted and insightful
tale of the 1917 flu as it was handled in a provincial society as well as that groups 2-faced dealing with
gay youth. it's a good book

Compelling story and performance

Fascinating tale, atmospheric, erotic -- a concise gem set in Iceland in 1918. The narrator captures every nuance. Loved it.

Very dreamlike writing

Check the content warnings before reading! But very good book. I really felt the atmosphere the author was cultivating.

What a disappointment

I had heard great things about this author, and so I had high hopes for this story, but it didn't go anywhere. The characters are flat and static, and there are only hints at more of a story. What a letdown.