Praying for an Eclipse: Mother Moon (Volume 1) - Book Review

Praying for an Eclipse: Mother Moon is a book about love, why we exist, what makes us happy, our spiritual being, man’s cruelty, and other subjects of life. It is a beautiful love story, but not one of eroticism. This is a masterpiece of literature skillfully written by Guillermo Marquez-Sterling. The story focuses on a Tarahumara woman named Suré whose village is high up in the Sierra Madre Mountains. In the 1920’s a young priest named Leandro Jose Ortega y Padilla was a missionary in her village. She was taught not to ever trust Chabochi, the outsiders, but she becomes infatuated with the young priest and soon these two individuals from distant lands, different cultures, and different spiritual beliefs fall in love.  Even though the relationship was forbidden by both cultures, Padilla was willing to break his vow with the church to marry her and Suré defies the teachings of her elders to be with an outsider. Oddly, their union was one of great passion and happiness.

The 1920’s were a particularly turbulent, violent and uncertain period, yet a future-defining era in Mexico’s history. Soon after Suré leaves her village, her life and happiness are radically altered. A series of unfortunate events befall her and she is forced to work for a sadistic employer. She is preyed upon by the elite and finds she is powerless to stop their abuse. She even has to endure rape repeatedly during one of her jobs.  The world she now inhabits with her children is totally alien to the world she knew in the Sierra Madre Mountain village where she grew up. She tries to find happiness in this new world but finds it harsh and is left with a strong yearning to return to the village of her childhood in the Sierra Madre Mountains.

In an exquisitely crafted narrative, Guillermo Marquez-Sterling gives us a startling look at an oppressive world and life that most of us will never experience. He possesses a gift that enables him to paint a picture of the characters and their surroundings, along with credible dialogue that further illuminates the world he writes about; the culture clashes, the characters torn between family obligations, societal forces, and passion.   The novel is alive with memorable piercing images that are deeply disturbing yet true testaments of the life forced upon people viewed as society’s chaff.  Within the pages, he subtly addresses social issues that plagued society then and as they still do today.  Guillermo Marquez-Sterling is a bold new talent and a writer to watch.  This is a heart-warming, eye-opening book that I feel readers will enjoy.