Moon Beaver by Andrew Hook

Andrew Hook's first novel tells the story of Benny Henderson, who works for the Company, a giant concern which has practically taken over Norwich. Benny is happily in love with his fellow Company employee Louise – that is, until the dazzling Moon Beaver comes into his life.

The Company promotes conformity, and the security that comes with it; but Moon lives by a different philosophy: that of doing just what you want, a philosophy which has made her immortal (or so she claims). She whisks Benny away on an international odyssey to experience living, while Louise is left behind to puzzle over just who Moon Beaver really is.

And elsewhere, we meet Lou, an egg farmer who is one of Moon's previous acquaintances (companions? lovers?), and Christian and Alice, maker and reluctant star of pornographic films, who have their own encounters with the Company, and whose lives change as a result.

Moon Beaver is about the conflict between the desires of the self and the constraints of society, a conflict that we all experience at times. Welcomingly, Hook offers no easy answers: Moon's colourful individualism might seem infinitely preferable to the Company's drab conformity, but Benny recognizes that her self-gratifying lifestyle is ultimately hollow and unsustainable. The best answer (as so often) is to strike a balance between the two as well as you can.

The only grumble I have about Hook's presentation of this conflict is that the contrast between the Company and Moon isn't perhaps drawn as sharply as it ought to be. We tend to hear about the Company's oppressiveness rather than experience it first-hand; as a result, the Company tends to fade into the background instead of being a reality of the novel. Similarly, Moon Beaver herself doesn't leap off the page as much as her role suggests that she should. All this may, of course, be deliberate; but it does lessen the impact of the book a little.

But that should not detract from what is a fine debut novel. Andrew Hook is known for his short stories, but proves to be adept at the longer form. He does sometimes crack self-referential jokes (about this being a novel) that some readers may find annoying; but, on the whole, his narration is very good-humoured and likeable, with some arresting turns of phrase.

Moon Beaver is a thoroughly enjoyable ride; be sure to book your place on it.

This review first appeared in The Alien Online.

Further links:
Andrew Hook
Emperor's New Clothes Press