Girl in the Moonlight: A Novel

The author of Indiscretion returns with a scorching tale of love, passion, and obsession, about one man’s all-consuming desire for a beautiful, bewitching, and beguiling woman.

Since childhood, Wylie Rose has been drawn to the charming, close-knit Bonet siblings. But none affected him more than the enchanting Cesca, a girl blessed with incandescent beauty and a wild, irrepressible spirit.

Growing up, Wylie’s friendship with her brother, Aurelio, a budding painter of singular talent, brings him near Cesca’s circle. A young woman confident in her charms, Cesca is amused by Wylie’s youthful sensuality and trusting innocence. Toying with his devotion, she draws him closer to her fire—ultimately ruining him for any other woman.

Spanning several decades, moving through the worlds of high society, finance, and art, and peopled with poignant characters, Girl in the Moonlight takes us on a whirlwind tour, from the wooded cottages of old East Hampton to the dining rooms of Upper East Side Manhattan to the bohemian art studios of Paris and Barcelona. As he vividly brings to life Wylie and Cesca’s tempestuous, heart-wrenching affair, Charles Dubow probes the devastating depths of human passion and the nature of true love.

A searing tale of love, passion, and obsession, about one man's all-consuming desire for a beautiful, bewitching, and elusive woman.

"At night she is often in my dreams, always just out of reach, across a table, laughing, climbing a stair, disappearing into the next room, or on the verge of love, until something causes me to wake up unconsummated, aware of her continued absence in my life even if she was still with me every day. I remember when I first met her. It changed my life."

Since he was a shy, protected young man, Wylie Rose has been drawn to the alluring, unconventional Bonet siblings, the children of a bohemian Spanish painter and an American heiress. And especially the enchanting Cesca, a girl of shimmering, incandescent beauty with a wild, irrepressible spirit. Spanning several decades and moving through the worlds of high society and art, Girl in the Moonlight takes us from the wooded cottages of the Hamptons to the dining rooms of Upper East Side Manhattan to the glamorous nightlife of Paris and Barcelona. As he vividly brings to life Wylie and Cesca's tempestuous, heart-wrenching affair, Charles Dubow probes the devastating depths of misguided passion and the nature of true love.

“This page-turner about a man’s no-holds-barred obsession with a mysterious, seductive woman doesn’t disappoint, and that’s thanks in no small part to Charles Dubow’s beautifully constructed prose.” - InStyle.com

“An enchanting tale dabblin in love, obsession, relationships, and beauty. ... The perfect book to devour beachside.” - Hamptons Magazine

“Inspired. ... [Dubow] evokes a mystical atmosphere around Cesca’s mesmerizing power. ... Wylie and Cesca see tempestuous years pass in struggling to define the magnetism they feel for one another, and readers will be spellbound by the process.” - Shelf Awareness

“Compelling. ... From the very first page his sometimes spare, Hemingway-like prose invites the reader to settle in for an engaging tale.” - Joan Baum, WSHU, Public Radio Group

“Girl in the Moonlight, Dubow’s second novel after Indiscretion, is a sleek, brisk, Gatsby-esque tale. ... It is beautiful and sad, hypnotic and tragic, and compulsive reading to the party’s end when the cocktails run dry, and the ‘good life’ exposes its shimmering, self-absorbed flaws. But what an elegant and ebullient journey!” - Providence Journal

“A sleek, brisk Gatsby-esque tale. ... Keeps you reading like sipping a perfectly-fashioned martini. Compulsive reading. ... What an elegant and ebullient journey.” - Providence Journal

“Girl in the Moonlight is an infinitely nuanced novel that is unpredictable in the best possible way.” - Cape Codder

“A passionate relationship still sears these pages. ... If you are a romantic, you will devour every page of this book.” - Huffington Post

“From Paris to Barcelona to New York, Girl in the Moonlight takes the reader on a whirlwind journey. ... The story does not offer one big climax, but instead small explosions throughout, keeping the reader guessing from chapter to chapter. Dubow’s second novel is a passionate story that explores the capacity of love--and it’s unyielding ability to control us.” - BookPage

“From Paris to Barcelona to New York, Girl in the Moonlight takes the reader on a whirlwind journey. ... A passionate story that explores the capacity of love--and its unyielding ability to control us.” - BookPage

“Seduces readers with a tantalizing, salacious tale. ... Almost every page here is watermarked with love, lust, wealth, creativity, betrayal or heartbreak.” - USA Today

“An evocative and maddening tale of obsession. ... Beautifully descriptive. ... Questions about whether a person can change, or if we are all doomed to repeat the same mistakes time and time again, will be swirling through readers’ minds.” - Publishers Weekly

“Dubow offers a heady, intoxicating tale. ... A story of the most interesting people you will ever know, told with style and verve.” - Kirkus Reviews

“A page turner for avid readers of romantic novels.” - Library Journal