Girl in the Moonlight

The author of the acclaimed Indiscretion returns with a searing tale of love, passion, and obsession—the story of 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. But none affects him more than the enchanting Cesca, a girl of shimmering, incandescent beauty with a wild, irrepressible spirit.

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.

Wylie goes willingly whenever Cesca so tantalizingly reappears in his life, despite the emotional chaos left in her wake. Long ago, Wylie's father warned him about the Bonets. "They're beautiful, talented, rich. It's all very seductive. But they'll take everything and give nothing in return." One day Wylie will make an unexpected choice—a decision that will haunt him and echo through their lives.

Spanning several decades, moving through the worlds of high society and art, and peopled with poignant characters, 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.

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

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

“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)

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

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

“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)

“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)

“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)

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

“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)