The Moon Looked Down by Dorothy Garlock

It does not matter whether a place is large or small fear can grow inside of men until a  what makes us humane no longer dwells in a person's mind or body. In "The Moon Looked Down" by Dorothy Garlock, fear takes over a small town outside of Chicago called Denver. Three men named Ellis, Riley and Graham become men without hearts. Therefore, they are brutal, use no common sense and are blind to real events and only tune in to see what is not truly happening in their town.

These three men led by Ellis become fixated on the Heller family. The Hellers are Germans. This family, Sophie, her brother Karl and her parents are kind, decent people. No different from other American families except they are German during WWII. This was a time when some people chose to think all Germans were Nazis. These three men become obsessed with protecting Denver from this horrible family of Nazis.

This story moved me deeply. I cried for the Hellers. I also thought about how false fears can make our vision cloudy. People can become lost in the night around the corner from their home where there is only sunlight. I thought about how fear can make us become different, frightening to other people. Because we naturally attack the bears in the night.

This is Historical Fiction. The web of the story is tied loosely. Meaning what happened in the American Forties can happen now in America, 2010. If I allow my fears to brew, churn and steam, I will find myself with a heart unable to give love because what I "think" is happening to destroy my family, friends and I.

Dorothy Garlock also added a beautiful love story to the plot. The romance between two young lovers is beautifully told. True love sees imperfections. Then, love chooses to love sacrificially. Valuing the person loved  more than their disability. Love is complex. Love is not always real. Love also can cloud our vision. Dorothy Garlock deals with all sorts of issues the ordinary person experiences throughout life. This author writes about reality with hope and faith and a better day coming tomorrow.

There is a poem at the beginning of the novel. When I got to the middle of the book, I read the poem. When I came to the end of the book, I read the poem again. The poem is titled The Moon Looked Down. In the book the word "moon" is used over and over again. I started to write down the sentences in which moon appeared throughout the book. I did not have time. I had to hurry and read the next page. Yes, the book is full of suspense with the moon looking down on a small town in America.