Reviewed by Cecelia Hopkins for Readers' Favorite

From the Moon I Watched Her by Emily English Medley is a work of fiction that lifts the lid on evil embedded in middle-class suburban communities. The story begins with Stephanie listening to her minister grandfather leading the “no” side of a public abortion debate. Then it follows her home and describes her complicated family relationships. Although they attend church every week, the mother has mental health issues, and the father has an “inappropriate” special relationship with the older sister. After seeing her sister with two older boys, Stephanie allows the boys to take her into an empty house too...

From the Moon I Watched Her by Emily Medley cleverly presents multiple moral and spiritual points of view. I really liked the way the story was narrated from the initial perspective of ten-year-old Stephanie. What could have been explicit was subtle as her young mind presented a complicated jumble of prohibition and privilege, physical and spiritual abuse. Despite the tragedy and drama, I enjoyed the twists and turns as the family situation evolved. I was so interested that at the conclusion of the story, I scrolled through the acknowledgments and discovered the list of talking points after that. From the Moon I Watched Her by Emily Medley is a character-driven tale that incorporates aspects of suspense to create a very sophisticated story.