Talking to the Moon
A heartbreaking story of a racially motivated shooting that triggers the memories, hopes, and dreams of a Filipino American family. Inspired by an actual event, this funny, rich novel unflinchingly tackles the most explosive topics facing America today: race, religion, and sexuality.
Los Angeles Times Bestseller
“A stunner. Talking to the Moon: birth, death, crime, loss, great echoes of the best crime fiction and mystical realism. A terrific second novel that beats the sophomore curse hands down.”
James Ellroy, Author
LA Confidential, Black Dahlia, The Cold Six Thousand
“What a large-hearted, full-souled and redemptive view of Los Angeles, of love and death, and of this family which represents all the best we have in this not-always brave new world. I was truly impressed by Noel Alumit's skill in braiding together seemingly disparate strands of story, and always amazed by the tenderness he gave his characters.”
Susan Straight
National Book Award Finalist for “Highwire Moon”
“Despite the grim premise, Talking to the Moon is not heavy going. Alumit deftly interlaces the internal lives of his characters — including the comatose Jory and his late son Jun-Jun — into a supple flow. He manages to blend, on both cultural and individual levels, a mystical backstory of the Philippines with the Filipino immigrant experience and contemporary American media politics, without sacrificing the immediacy or intimacy of the family drama at the fore. Alumit's command of storytelling technique is so assured that the flashbacks weave in and out of the main story as smoothly and seamlessly as memories do in the mind.
Alumit's a playwright and actor, as well, and he's clearly trained himself to listen to the fitful rhythms of real speech. His dialogue always rings true and is devoid of affect even where he's going for an emotional knockout. In fact, Alumit's handling of his second novel (following the widely praised — and actually gay-themed — Letters to Montgomery Clift) reminds me of Muhammad Ali's ring credo: ‘Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.’
Alumit is still young, ambitious and finely tuned — I hope he finds a wider audience for the great books he has yet to write.”
San Francisco Chronicle