The Redemption of Good Hope

A review of Sing Down The Moon, a tale of a young woman’s struggle with memory, tradition, freedom and the relationship between the living and the dead.

In Robert Gwaltney’s novel, Sing Down The Moon, we follow 16-year-old Leontyne Skye and her life in Good Hope, a remote Georgia town with magical undertones. The novel itself is based in this “magical realism,” which allows the author to craft an interesting world and set of characters within such a confined, small setting. This magical realism creates Damascus, an ancient fig tree with the power to make Redemption. Redemption takes the essences of haints and also kills the Skye woman, turning them into nothing but teeth and hair.

The beginning of the novel shows Leontyne’s dislike of her situation, but duty nonetheless. She struggles taking care of her mother, Eulalee, as she’s already suffering from the effects of Redemption. Leontyne longs to escape Good Hope, but is bound to Damascus, and satisfying the haints.

Here, in the clutch of one of her forgetful spells, I might tell Eulalee lies. Tell her she is not my mama. That I am Armageddon, an angel flown down vengeful from the firmament on reaping-hook wings to topple down Damascus Tree and chop Eulalee in two. Know this: Damascus will be the death of Eulalee. Damascus will be the death of me. The bittersweet pill I swallow is that without Redemption, life as we are accustomed to here on Good Hope would cease to be. No means without it by which to earn our keep. – Chapter 1

The way the novel allows Leontyne to directly address the reader was really interesting to me. It reminded me of other stories in which we follow women trapped in social bindings, like Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Leontyne’s situation is certainly one that reflects the traps that come with tradition and the expectation to follow said tradition. Leontyne longs to be free of Good Hope, but her position as the Great Redeemer means she must die in Good Hope. The story’s writing style, allowing Leontyne to vocalize her thoughts directly to us, allows the reader to empathize with her situation and better connects the reader and protagonist, while also clearly outlining who Leontyne is as a person.

Sing Down The Moon is a gripping tale taking place in a magical imagining of the American South. The mysteries of Good Hope, Damascus and the townsfolk themselves are enchanting. For anyone looking for a realistic yet magical take on the struggles of tradition and expectation, this book is a strongly recommended read.

Sing Down The Moon is one of our Spring Reading Picks.