Joe Pace’s Moss is a literary work that portrays the life of Oscar Kendall after the death of his father. For a long time, his greatest shadow was his father, Isaiah Moss.

Oscar’s feelings for his father show the reality of someone who feels so small and incapable in front of his father’s personification and achievements. Isaiah, a renowned writer, experienced several achievements and received top awards throughout his career. On the other side was his son, who wanted the same for himself. However, the fear of failure was greater than his will to succeed in what he did. Isaiah’s influence follows Oscar causing him to lose his identity and almost always question whether he was good enough.

During the course of the book, the main character goes through several experiences after inheriting his father’s cabin in New Hampshire. The author writes in first person from the perspective of Oscar. This allows readers to empathize with Oscar as he describes his feelings about his father and his influence. Then, the war veteran, May, enters the story, which causes Oscar’s love life to take a significant turn.

Being in front of his father’s things and coming to understand him when he had passed away changed Oscar’s perception of many things that, for him, were static. At certain moments, I felt sad for Oscar’s loss and the turn of things in his life. However, with the engaging narration, Oscar’s particular sense of humor, perceptive worldview along with the author’s clear writing, the story is very enjoyable and carries the reader swiftly to the end.

Moss is an impassioned novel about love and loss and how complex they are depending on your perspective. A work of literary fiction and self-discovery, readers will follow Oscar as he discovers the truth about his father and himself.

Pages: 242 | ASIN : B09PJCL9JZ