In her latest book, The Half Moon, Mary Beth Keane ’99 returns to the fictional town of Gillam, the setting of her 2019 celebrated bestseller Ask Again, Yes.
Keane — an adjunct associate professor in Barnard’s English Department — said Gillam is a lot like the town she grew up in, Pearl River, New York. This place, its people, and the seemingly ordinary moments of lives of work, love, and family in a Hudson Valley town figure prominently in Keane’s writing to stirring effect. “It’s such a pleasure to sink into Keane’s quietly luminous prose,” wrote The New York Times in its glowing review.
Of the book’s central character, the handsome bar owner Malcolm Gephardt, Keane described him as affable and gregarious. “He knows everyone, and everyone’s half in love with him. And I thought, ‘Let’s take a guy like that and jam him up a little bit. See what happens,’” Keane said of her protagonist. The story takes fascinating twists and turns and resolves with a surprising, emotionally resonant finish.
Over the past several weeks, Keane has been on a twisting, turning journey herself. The promotional book tour has Keane keeping a frenetic schedule. In this A Day in the Life of …, Keane shared the narrative arc of one of her busy days in the spotlight — including an appearance on ABC News in New York City, which featured The Half Moon as the “Buzz Pick” for May 26, 2023. Watch Keane discuss the inspiration behind her novel with news anchor Diane Macedo below.
6 a.m.: I made a pot of coffee before waking up my boys. They’re off from school today and are going to join me at ABC Studios, where I’ll be talking about my new book. I told them to dress up a bit. This is their version of being dressed up.
7:10 a.m.: My mother, who lives on the same street [as me], walked over to say good luck. My dog Timber was also outside.
7:25 a.m.: Me and my boys, in the car, on our way to Manhattan.
8 a.m.: Our arrival at ABC. My new novel, The Half Moon, was the Buzz Pick for this week.
9:30 a.m.: The studio! We had some downtime.
10:05 a.m.: I’m in hair and makeup to go on live at 10:20 a.m. It’s a little tight, timing-wise, but they are pros.
10:18 a.m.: I’m on the set, waiting for my cue.
10:20 a.m.: Me and Diane Macedo! The whole segment was just over three minutes.
11:15 a.m.: We’re back in Rockland by 11:15, in time to meet friends for a late breakfast to kick off the holiday weekend. But I have to hurry my two boys because I have a book signing in Edgartown, Massachusetts, on Saturday, May 27, and we’re booked on an early evening ferry that day.
5:55 p.m.: We’ve already packed and loaded our car, so after changing out of “dress up” clothes and filling up on diner breakfast, we headed full speed to Woods Hole, Massachusetts. We get there earlier than expected — a holiday weekend miracle.
6:15 p.m.: Me on the ferry, the golden hour. Thinking about the next day’s book event format and what it will entail. Also thinking about what I’ll say if the boys ask to paddleboard. The water is 56 degrees. (I say yes.)
