(Review) The Law of Moses

The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon

Publication Date: November 27, 2014

Pages: 333 (kindle) 

Genre: Fiction/Romance

My Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis: 

If I tell you right up front, right in the beginning that I lost him, it will be easier for you to bear. You will know it’s coming, and it will hurt. But you’ll be able to prepare.

Someone found him in a laundry basket at the Quick Wash, wrapped in a towel, a few hours old and close to death. They called him Baby Moses when they shared his story on the ten o’clock news – the little baby left in a basket at a dingy Laundromat, born to a crack addict and expected to have all sorts of problems. I imagined the crack baby, Moses, having a giant crack that ran down his body, like he’d been broken at birth. I knew that wasn’t what the term meant, but the image stuck in my mind. Maybe the fact that he was broken drew me to him from the start.

It all happened before I was born, and by the time I met Moses and my mom told me all about him, the story was old news and nobody wanted anything to do with him. People love babies, even sick babies. Even crack babies. But babies grow up to be kids, and kids grow up to be teenagers. Nobody wants a messed up teenager.

And Moses was messed up. Moses was a law unto himself. But he was also strange and exotic and beautiful. To be with him would change my life in ways I could never have imagined. Maybe I should have stayed away. Maybe I should have listened. My mother warned me. Even Moses warned me. But I didn’t stay away.

And so begins a story of pain and promise, of heartache and healing, of life and death. A story of before and after, of new beginnings and never-endings. But most of all...a love story.

My Review: 

First off - HIIIIIIIII. 

I've gone back to work after a very short summer break, and my reading is seriously suffering. Back are the days that I read Froggy's First Day of School instead of something smoldering and sweet. Anywho, I'm so thankful I got to spend the day with Amy's beautiful words. 

I seriously finished reading this book about ten minutes ago and had to get my thoughts out immediately. (First I had to make coffee.) 

I loved Georgia's and Moses' story. It was beautiful and sad and just...gah. It kind of feels like my thoughts are mush, actually, but I'm going to try to put them into words. 

Georgia and Moses meet. She's kind of brash, a little too honest, and definitely pushy. Moses is quiet, artistic, reserved...and everyone thinks he's a psycho. Every encounter these two characters have in the first part of the book is almost volatile. They are constantly at each other, neither one of them ever really backing down from an argument. The connection and the electricity between them is strong and you can't help but want to know and see more of them together. 

And then everything changes. Once Moses leaves town things that have happened really seem to fall into place. People said that Moses was "cracked" and they aren't that far from the truth. Moses is definitely different. When he's in the hospital and meets Tag more and more truths come out and, as far-fetched as it may seem, Moses' abilities make for a great story. 

The fast forward of the book threw me at first, but then I got it. Then it hurt a lot more. At the point when you realize what's going on you can't help it. The sadness takes over from there. You might think I'm being dramatic, but read the story and you'll see. 

There was so much I loved about this book (including the way it ripped my heart out), but one of the main things was that, despite its heavy content, this book was entirely wholesome. There was nothing explicit or tawdry and there was hardly even a swear word. Some of the content was absolutely adult but also handled very well. I loved the writing style, the characters (even Georgia's parents who were kind of annoying) and the way it all came together in the end. 

A few times I gasped out loud or knew what was coming, but that didn't take away from the depth of this book. It is most definitely a love story. It's also a story about loss, finding yourself, and forgiveness. Those are the best kind. 

Now, I'm off to check out The Song of David and maybe cry a little more.