This is the story of Lucy, a divorcee whose hair is turning green, who lives in Verity, "home to more divorced women from New York than any other town in the state of Florida." It's a strange place to live, especially in May when "the sea turtles begin to migrate across West Main Street, mistaking the glow of street lights for the moon."
Lucy's wayward 12-year-old son Keith has a reputation for being the meanest kid around. One May night, a divorcee is murdered and Keith, who happens to be in the vicinity, kidnaps her little daughter. Julian Cash, an eccentic cop who specializes in tracking down lost people, sets out to find them with his special dog Arrow. Meanwhile, a teen angel lives by a gumbo-tree the townsfolk call haunted. He yearns for liberation when he falls in love with a girl who hangs out near the tree.
Turtle Moon is an enchanting novel about the magic which occurs in the messy lives of single mothers, loners, dogs, and vagabond spirits. Alice Hoffman realizes that wonderful miracles can happen to people who are seen to be totally irredeemable.