Hang the Moon

Hang the Moon (2023) by American author Jeanette Walls is a historical novel set in Virginia during Prohibition. The story follows Sallie Kincaid, the daughter of the most important man in town, whose attempts to teach her young half-brother how to be more like their father end in an accident. After being banished to live with an aunt for many years, Sally returns to claim her place in the family. Walls gained widespread recognition for her memoir The Glass Castle, published in 2005. Walls also authored the bestselling novel Half Broke Horses, inspired by her grandmother’s life. Hang the Moon, also a New York Times bestseller, explores the themes of Memory and the Past, Family Dysfunction and Fear of Commitment, and Loss and Loneliness.

This study guide refers to the Scribner eBook (2023), an imprint of Simon & Schuster publications.

Content Warning: The source material features depictions of physical assault, domestic abuse, suicide, murder, and racism. Additionally, the source material uses outdated terms for people of color, which are replicated in this guide only in direct quotes of the source text.

Plot Summary