The New Moon's Arms

By: Nalo Hopkinson

Narrated by: Gin Hammond

What's in a name? A lot, according to Caribbean-born Chastity, who has adopted the more fitting moniker Calamity. Now in her 50s, Calamity is confronting two big life transitions: the death of her beloved father and the beginning of menopause, a physical shift that has rekindled her special gift for finding lost things.

Suddenly, she is getting hot flashes that seem to forge objects out of thin air. Only this time, the lost item that has washed up on the shore is not her old toy truck or her hairbrush, but a four-year-old boy.

As Calamity takes the child into her care, she discovers that all is not as it seems: the boy's family is most unusual. Then, Calamity must reawaken to the mysteries surrounding her own childhood and the early disappearance of her mother.

©2007 Nalo Hopkinson (P)2007 BBC Audio

Critic reviews

• Nebula Award Nominee, Best Novel, 2008

surprisingly delightful and engaging ...

it took me a few tries to finally get into the story. the main character was kinda annoying, but she was also intriguing after a while of listening to her constantly rambling on (inside her head and out). by the end of the story, I was fully invested in how things would turn out. nothing turned out as I thought it would, but the ending was satisfying enough for me if I think of the story as a fairy tale. I enjoyed learning about this culture and some of its ways and figures of speech. the accent grew on me, and I learned to love it, and understand it more. I didn't really expect to like this book as much as I did, but the narrator was so good...she was perfect in my opinion, I now want to listen to her narrate some more books. the writing was exquisite, and I will now try a few more of the author's books. i'm glad I gave this book a try. I've been expanding my horizons by adding new authors to my collection, and this is a nice little gem that I found.

Beautiful Story

Seamless narration. Unique story and characters. The book was very enjoyable. My first read by this author but not my last.

I’m so thankful that I found this book.

Wow! I’m a big Toni Morrison fan. This book reminds me of her writing. This is so much more than a fantasy story. It gives us another way to think about what might have been the survival of the middle passage.

A hidden gem!

I really enjoyed this story! It was different, humorous and entertaining. The story of a menopausal Caribbean woman whose hot flashes manifest items from her past. She also becomes the caretaker of a toddler who belongs to the mysterious “sea people “. The narrator’s Caribbean accent and performance was excellent.

Interesting story and fabulous narration

Loved the true Bahamian narrator, true to the story. Magical and full of references and metaphors. Might repeat the listen

How am I only discovering Nalo Hopkinson now?

What a delight! A character-centric magical realism tale of womanhood, magic and the sea. The pacing is wonderful.

Masterfully done

As expected of Nalo Hopkinson, this novel seamlessly melded the fantasy of Caribbean folklore into the everyday lives of normal people. Engaging from beginning to end.

Magic, menopause, mystique

Delightful! This book was supposed to just hold me over until one I was waiting for came out. Instead, my coveted new read has been out for a week, and I haven’t touched it because I’ve been so enchanted with this one.

Overall I enjoyed this story

At some parts I was lost as to what was going on. Then realized she kept going back in her memories.

Powerful Older Woman

I truly enjoyed how the author portrayed her narrator’s “change of life” and the ability and lessons that accompanied it.