About the Book:
Two brothers separated at birth grow up worlds apart. Outwardly, they’re exactly alike, but inwardly, nothing’s the same – one is a devotee of fundamentalist Islam; the other, a Christian. In this modern-day Cain and Abel story, the lines are drawn not just over whose God is right, but also over the fact that they’re both in love with the same girl.
It’s a conflict with grave repercussions, little hope of resolution – and time is running out. In the background, a plan has been set in motion that will bring the United States government to its knees. Will an unexpected visitation reconcile the brothers in time to save the woman they love – and ultimately, themselves – from the coming devastation?
In his award-winning style, author Keith Clemons delivers a profound comparison between Christianity and Islam, a dichotomy of life versus death, love versus hate, and grace versus legalism. Mohamed’s Moon will plunge you into a world where hatred and heinous acts are justified. But if hatred is potent, it pales in comparison to the power of God’s love.
My thoughts:
I have to admit....I was really not expecting to like this book. The style is so different from anything else I normally read, and I just prepared myself to get through it and somehow, find something to like about it. Well, I learned something along the way, and that is simply to not set expectations until I've given something a chance. Boy, am I glad I gave Mohamed's Moon a chance! It was just impossible to put this book down! It had such a fast pace that literally left me on the edge of my seat. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, wham! I'm thrown for a loop, and have to set myself right...over and over again.
Also, it's pretty unusual to have the topic of Islam in a Christian fiction book. I don't think I've ever come across it until now, and I managed to get a little bit of an education in the process. I was not expecting to see passages from the Quran scattered throughout the book, but it really made a difference in the overall tone of the book. If the author had written, "Mohamed remembered a verse from the Quran," but didn't list said verse, it wouldn't have added anything to the book. Instead, he did interject passages from the Quran, and it put a whole different spin on things. I could now see reasons why Mohamed felt about Islam the way he did.
It also made the internal conflict that Mohamed was experiencing so much more believable. Once Mohamed meets his brother, they challenge each other to read the other person's holy book. I didn't doubt that Matthew, Mohamed's brother, would hold true to his Christian upbringing. Mohamed, on the other hand, felt that he had a little more to prove. Not only is he trying to prove to Matthew that Allah is the supreme god, but he's also got to find a way to convince Layla, Matthew's girlfriend and a Christian, that she has strayed. So, he keeps his promise, buys a Bible, and sets out on his course to convert these two "infidels" (all non-Muslims). However, I think he got a little more than he bargained for. :o)
I can say without a doubt that I'm very impressed with Keith Clemons as an author. Choosing such an explosive theme of the coexistance of Christians and Muslims couldn't have been easy, but it's definitely relevant to present times. I certainly hope he's got a sequel in the works, or if not that, something else that follows this same topic. I'll definitely be reading more about it in the future.
4 1/2 stars
About the Author:
Keith Clemons, a native of Southern California, is an alumnus of California State University – Fullerton where he earned a degree in English literature. He lives with his wife, Kathryn, in Caledon, Ontario, Canada. His four previous novels, Angel in the Alley, If I should Die, These Little Ones and Above the Stars, have accumulated a total of six writing awards.
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I missed your review until just now. So glad you liked the book. I agree that it was much more than I expected. I would love to convince everybody to read it!
ReplyDeleteOh, and I like that Teaser Tuesday thing. I may try that myself.