A Solitary Walk on the Moon

Book excerpt: 'Evelyn went to the third drawer down in her dresser. It was her drawer of things past ... she had an item from each of her previous lives. Evelyn was good at reinventing herself, becoming who she was going to be next, but she still kept one thing from each life. Never two.' For Evelyn, mornings pass as mornings always do. She ticks off the jobs at the laundromat and gives welcoming smiles to those who come in. If they've earned one. Evelyn knows what is going on in her community because she pays attention. She sees the weariness of the frazzled shop owners, the woman with the nasty boyfriend, the nice man with the curly-topped dog, the car parking war and the forgetful man. The community might not notice Evelyn, because it is easy to overlook the seemingly ordinary. But Evelyn is far from ordinary. She isn't afraid to put things right, and is always ready to find lost property or lost people - even if that means breaking the rules. For a boy with a struggling mum, and a lonely man with a smile in his eyes, Evelyn is going to make a difference, whether they like it or not. She will teach them that you don't have to be blood to be family. And they will remind her of what comes from loving someone. It is up to Evelyn if she can pay the price. With a joyous and unique touch, Hilde Hinton's extraordinary novel A SOLITARY WALK ON THE MOON gives us an insight into the people we pass on the street. In detailing their rich lives, she breaks then mends our hearts with her wisdom, her insight and her unforgettable characters who remind us what can happen if we stop and say hello. Praise for Hilde Hinton 'Hinton has an ear for dialogue and an eye for detail, but her work's greatest asset is its heart. Her moving, well-realised debut [The Loudness of Unsaid Things] introduces a promising Australian writer. - Australian Book Review