When this author approached me to read her book, I was curious about it because it combined as I was told historical fiction with a love story. I dived into this time travel book and got sucked into the history!
Louisa Casson lost her grandmother, her only family, and in one drunken accident, she finds herself committed into a psychiatric hospital. There she fights with not only her demons but also the horrible conditions of the health system.
One day, while exploring, an abandoned wing, she finds a young man, a patient who declares that he is a wounded soldier of World War I. Louisa soon realizes that she sees glimpses of the past and when she falls in love with the soldier, she time travels to be reunited with him again.
Robert Lovett is a Lieutenant in the Great War and his only concern is to fight for the freedom of his country. When he gets injured, his only hope is the girl with the red hair who shows him that life is not only the cruelty of war.
If you like historical fiction, then this book is pretty great! The author describes realistically and poignantly the war and the battles of someone’s self. You should be prepared for gritty scenes especially those happening in WWI.
She also writes about mental illness and the poorly run institutions that gives another interesting aspect to the story. I have to say that the secondary characters in the hospital are so well written that I could read about their own stories, especially about Louisa’s best friend.
As for the love story, it needed more depth if you are a romance lover like myself. Although, I liked how these two characters met, there was a pause into their relationship. There are lengthy descriptions of what they do separately but there are not many scenes that these two interact, especially in the middle. I would have preferred to read more about them as a couple than to see their individual actions. This is an insta-love kind of book that needed more development.
Beyond the Moon is a haunting, well researched historical novel with a light touch of romance. If you want detailed descriptions of war and medical practices, then this story will keep your interest!
