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 Additionally, the source material uses outdated terms for people of color, which are replicated in this guide only in direct quotes of the source text.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

At age eight, Sallie Kincaid lives with her father, Hank “the Duke” Kincaid, her stepmother, Jane, and her half-brother, Eddie, in Caywood, Virginia. Annie, Sallie’s mother, passed away when Sallie was just three, leaving her with scant memories. Jane harbors a deep disdain for Sallie due to Annie’s questionable reputation in Claiborne County. This disdain intensifies when an accident occurs involving Sallie’s wagon that injures Eddie. Jane accuses Sallie of trying to kill him, and Sallie is banished from the Big House. The Duke sends her to live with her mother’s sister, Aunt Faye, in Hatfield.

After nine years, 17-year-old Sallie has accepted that her return to the Big House is unlikely. However, her life takes an unexpected turn when Tom Dunbar, a childhood friend and employee of the Duke, appears at her Aunt Faye’s home. He informs Sallie of Jane’s passing and the Duke’s wish for her to attend the wake and funeral. Upon her return to Caywood, Sallie discovers that the Duke wishes for her to come back permanently to the Big House to take care of Eddie, for whom he has grand plans.

Despite Jane’s recent death, the Duke returns from a trip to Danville with a new wife named Kat. Following Kat’s suggestion, the Kincaid family, along with other acquaintances, gathers for a picnic. Tragically, during a group jump from a trestle into the water, the Duke loses his life.

Eddie, being the eldest son, inherits everything. However, since Eddie is a minor, the Duke’s sister Mattie and her husband, Sheriff Earl, take control of the Kincaid Holdings. Sallie attempts to maintain a neutral stance, but complex family rivalries and Prohibition laws complicate her relationships with the family members. When Mattie obtains Eddie’s custody through a court order, separating him from his home, Eddie dies by suicide. After Eddie’s death, Sallie grapples with guilt, feeling responsible for not protecting her half-brother. Sallie’s half-sibling, Mary, now inherits the Kincaid business and the Big House. Mary, who is the daughter of the Duke’s first wife, Belle, harbors resentment towards Sallie’s mother for her role in her parents’ failed marriage. Mary uses her position to initiate political and religious reforms in the county. However, her aspirations are cut short when she succumbs to uterine cancer.

After Mary’s passing, Sallie inherits everything. With new responsibilities and challenges, she feels overwhelmed and uncertain. As the Prohibition era begins, Sallie finds herself navigating the dangerous world of bootlegging and facing off against rival families, especially the Bonds. Her life takes a new direction when she meets and hires Douglas Rawley. Their connection soon deepens into an affair, and they plan to elope. However, their plans are derailed when Sallie discovers that Rawley has impregnated Nell, Aunt Faye’s daughter and Sallie’s half-sister. As a result, Aunt Faye reveals long-held secrets about her mother Annie’s tragic fate at the hands of the Duke.

Following Rawley’s departure, Sallie grapples with loneliness once again. In a mysterious turn of events, the Big House burns down. As Sallie contemplates the house’s charred remains, a forgotten conversation with her mother, Annie, resurfaces. Annie’s final words, reminding Sallie that she is loved, trigger a revelation. Upon Tom’s arrival, he discloses to Sallie that he and Amy are in the process of divorcing. In response, Sallie extends a proposal to Tom, even though they anticipate a waiting period, Sallie feels optimistic.