The story of Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig is quite simply a wonderful story about an incredible young girl. Although it may have taken me a while to pick this book up, I am so very glad that I did as I feel certain that the tale of Ginny Moon really is one that I will remember for a very long time. From beginning to end, this was a story that was unique, poignant, beautifully written and so very easy to fall in love with.
Within the book we meet fourteen-year-old Ginny Moon who is autistic and was removed from the care of her addict mother at a very young age. Having lived in multiple foster homes where things really haven’t worked out, Ginny is now living in her fourth forever home. Whilst things don’t always go to plan for young Ginny, she has been living with her current foster parents for some time and for the most part all are happy. However, as her foster mother prepares for the birth of her baby, things start to fall apart for young Ginny with talk of a new baby reminding her of her “baby doll” who was left in a suitcase at her birth mother’s when social services took her away. Ginny sets out on a dangerous mission to get her baby doll back…
This remarkable tale is one that is told entirely from the perspective of the young Ginny Moon, which allows the reader to really get to know her. Whilst she wasn’t entirely cute or sweet, she was a character who I loved for her bravery, determination and strength in what is, for her, a very confusing and difficult world. I became quickly engrossed and invested in Ginny’s story from a very early stage in the book and struggled to put it down as I was so desperate to see how things would turn out for Ginny.
One thing that struck me whilst reading this novel was how incredibly realistic the story of Ginny Moon seemed to be and Benjamin Ludwig’s knowledge of autism through his own experiences of adopting an autistic child really did shine through. This book really opened my eyes to a condition that I previously knew very little about and I felt like I learned so very much from reading it, although I didn’t always appreciate the repetitive nature of it. Furthermore, the way in which Benjamin has written this book is absolutely stunning and the writing kept me hooked from beginning to end, with moments of suspense, moments that made me cry and moments that made me laugh.
Ginny Moon is one of those books that I really do recommend particularly for those who enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. I think the tale of Ginny Moon is an important one, that needed to be told and will hopefully lead to an increased awareness about the condition of autism. For a debut novel it was overall incredibly impressive and I’d definitely be keen to read more by Benjamin in the future.
