The Moonlight Healers by Elizabeth Becker

Book Fort Rating: 5 Stars
Is it building the Book Fort? Yes. That's all there is to say.

I had to wait to stop crying before I could write this review.

The Moonlight Healers is a masterpiece, and I mean that in every sense of the word. Also because I am at a loss for words on how to otherwise describe a beautiful, tender book about the nature of life, death, and dying with dignity (or, more aptly, letting those we love go with dignity). 

I could start by saying I was excited to read this ARC after realizing Elizabeth Becker is a fellow graduate of my alma mater and English department. I was excited to look at a book informed by a nurse, after growing up in a medical family. But I can honestly say I did not expect this book to carve as deeply as it did. 

My 5-star ratings/reviews are given for books that I feel have fundamentally altered my cognizance in some way, or for books I know I will come back to, again and again. This book fits both of those bills. This is the kind of book you buy an extra copy of, so that you can annotate and come back to over and over again to gain its wisdom and read its absolutely beautiful passages. And it's the kind of book that sits and makes you reflect on yourself and the world around you, and (hopefully) help you come away with a new way to think about things.

So here's what I loved:
- I love, truly, when teenage characters act like teenagers. This book centers around two women, Louise and Helene, in a female line of healers, both around the age of 18 during their storylines - and both girls act like teens near 18. It makes all of their choices, their joy, and their pain that much more believable.
- The small romance(s) in the book do not feel forced at any point. They're natural revelations borne out of life unfolding around those involved. Only once did it seem like the romances were a small afterthought, and even that was smoothed over within a chapter or two. Also, I really appreciated that romance was not the actual point of the novel - mother-daughter relationships, understanding for family, and again, death and dying with dignity rightfully take centerstage.
- I'm typically not a fan of WWII novels or settings (because, simply put, they're overdone). But this setting not only makes sense in the world of Louise and Helene, but actually enhances the storyline. It felt to me like the time period was treated with the respect and realism it ought to be afforded, rather than how it's sometimes used as a prop by other novels.
- The characterization and character development of the main characters, but really every woman, in this story was so thoughtful and well-written. Each woman went on their own journey of understanding or unfolding, and the scenes that created as they all interacted were heartfelt and poignant.

What I didn't like:
- If anything, I think there could have been more character development for a couple of the male characters in the story (they are, overall, fairly one-paned). But at the end of the day this is a small thing, because the story really is not about the men: it's about the women in a line of healers, and that definitely shows.

This book was a joy to read - I truly cannot wait until it's released next year so I can have a copy (or two) for my bookshelves.

Infinite thanks here to Harlequin Trade Publishing & Graydon House, NetGalley, and Elizabeth Becker for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was a privilege to read.