The Light of Luna Park by Addison Armstrong

THE LIGHT OF LUNA PARK by Addison Armstrong is one of my favorite reads of the year. This debut novel combines historical fiction and mystery to weave a mother-daughter tale filled with secrets and social commentary. Armstrong uses alternating narrators, nurse Althea Anderson beginning in 1926 and teacher Stella Wright in 1950, keeping me engaged and curious about both storylines. The “Incubator Doctor” in the novel is Martin A. Couney whose obituary appeared in The New York Times due to his innovative and unconventional work to save so many babies. I especially liked the first half of the book and kept reading for a few hours just to see what happened to these empathetic characters and their charges – a premature baby and “handicapped” school age children. Although the ending feels a bit rough and unfinished, THE LIGHT OF LUNA PARK is sure to be a popular book group selection since there is much to discuss with themes of sacrifice and standing up for yourself, plus references ranging across subjects like PTSD, women’s careers, single motherhood, domestic abuse, and grief and loss. I am excited to see more titles from Addison Armstrong – she’s young, having just graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2020. To get a sense of her writing style, a short audio excerpt from THE LIGHT OF LUNA PARK is available here.