The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 Stars

“A story of before and after, of new beginnings and never-endings. A story flawed and fractured, crazy and cracked, and most of all, a love story.”

One Word…BEAUTIFUL! Those two sentences right there epitomize the power of Amy Harmon’s writing. Her story telling is beautiful and flawless…just flawless.

This is a story about a small town girl who falls in love with a misunderstood boy.

“They found Moses in a laundry basket at the Quick Wash, wrapped in a towel, a few hours old and close to death.”

“People love babies, even sick babies. Even crack babies. But babies grow up to be kids. Nobody really wants messed up kids. And Moses was messed up.”

Moses struggles all his life. No one knows how to deal with him and his eccentricities. After being juggled among multiple relatives, he finally comes to live with his grandmother where he then meets Georgia. Georgia is immediately drawn to him. Moses is closed off and strange, but oh so beautiful to her. He doesn’t let people in, but Georgia pushes her way into his life. Despite being drawn to Georgia as well, Moses is lost and doesn’t know how to handle Georgia being in his life.

“No one had ever wanted me, starting from the day I was born. but Georgia had wanted me. And because she had wanted me when no one else did, I had immediately been suspicious.”

Moses has a special gift, a gift that most people don’t understand; people think he is crazy. He has a compulsion to paint out his visions and he struggles to find peace within himself. He struggles to accept who he is and pushes Georgia away. Moses leaves Georgia for several years. During that time, Moses and Georgia grow and mature, but the consequences of their teenage affair have lasting consequences that change their lives forever. Hearts are broken and lives are shattered. When Moses comes back, he and Georgia have to learn to love, fill in the cracks, and rebuild their future.

At its core, this is a love story. It’s a story about a deep love shared between two souls, a story about learning to love yourself, and a story about the love of family. It touches on the coming of age, forgiveness, and the strength to overcome all odds. This is such a rich story and I loved everything about it.

I loved Georgia and Moses, especially Moses. He was such a tortured soul, but his heart was so beautiful. He was so lost as a teenager and I think his friendship with Tag was one of the best things that could have ever happened to him. He needed his friendship and support to gain confidence in himself. He learned to control his visions, but also learned to trust and accept himself for who he was. Once that happened, he was able to share his gift with the world. I loved Georgia for her ability to see Moses and his beauty. His skin color never mattered, his visions were a beautiful talent, and she craved to know him as person. She saw through all the shallowness and found the beauty within.

I’m not sure I could be so good to overlook all the superficial things and find the beauty deep within, but I know I want to be that type of person. I think the best books are the ones that make you take a step back and think about life and the people around you. It makes you question who you are and hope to be a better person. I loved Georgia’s concept of the 5 greats. It’s such an optimistic way of looking at life. I’m kind of the glass half empty kind of person, but I found the five greats such a simple and beautiful way of thinking. It paves the path to forgiveness and it allows us to overcome all the bad that surrounds us. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that there is so much love and good in the world; we just have to keep looking for it.

“That’s five greats then, Moses,” she said. “Your forgiveness. And Mine.”

“We let people believe what they wanted and accept what they would. We let the colors blur and the details fade.”

There is also an element of the paranormal. I don’t think this is a spoiler…but Moses can see the dead. However, Amy Harmon blends this element in a spiritual way…in the way where we all secretly hope our beloved ones watch over us, where they go to a better place that is peaceful and happy. I think the way this story touches on this issue really gives us hope for the people we have loved and lost.

This book has it all. It has love, family, spirituality, and even a bit of mystery. It is just a rich and well written book. This is definitely a MUST READ!!
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