66 pages • 2-hour read
Blood Moon
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Symbols & Motifs
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, child death, and death by suicide.
Blood Moon
The blood moon serves as a symbol throughout Blood Moon, beginning the narrative as a potentially inconsequential detail and evolving into an ominous deadline. It is a phenomenon where there is “a total lunar eclipse, not partial. Earth gets between the sun and a full moon. That’s the distinction. It’s a specific alignment. Earth is perfectly positioned to cast an encompassing shadow onto a full moon” (58).
Its power is in the obsession that certain people—including Dr. Victor Wallace—have for the blood moon. Initially, the blood moon is introduced as an overlooked and potentially unimportant detail. John initially dismisses it when Beth brings it to his attention, and he echoes the skepticism of later detectives in the story. This early dismissal highlights Truth, Justice, and the Cost of Silence. A crucial clue is ignored because it is more convenient to overlook it and choose the easiest solution. However, Beth is unwavering in her belief that the blood moon is important, and she finds a pattern between blood moons and missing girls and women in the region.
As the narrative progresses, the blood moon becomes more important because it is a lethal deadline. It becomes a ticking clock, escalating John and Beth’s urgency in their investigation. Readers have access to Wallace’s chilling inner monologue, which reveals his fanatical fixation on the blood moon and its religious significance. The connection between the blood moon and crescent-moon tattoos becomes pivotal to the plot. The tattoos begin linking different perpetrators and victims to the blood moon and to the crimes. Larissa Whitmore had the tattoo, as did her killer. Wallace tattooed the crescent moon onto Crissy Mellin, and he intends to tattoo it onto Molly. The tattoo gun that Wallace uses proves to be a crucial clue that allows him to be found and apprehended, saving Molly’s life. Ultimately, the blood moon represents justice because Wallace is denied his desperate plea to go outside and view the moon. Instead, Beth and John are able to sit outside and watch it, experiencing a cathartic resolution to a traumatic few days.
Crissy Mellin’s Crisis Point Episode
Crissy Mellin’s Crisis Point episode serves as a symbol of the cost of silence and the power of journalistic integrity. Beth was certain that the episode was not complete once she found the connection to the blood moon, and she continues to pursue the story relentlessly. Her determination to find out what happened to Crissy underscores the themes of Moral Responsibility Verus Career Loyalty and Truth, Justice, and the Cost of Silence. When it becomes clear that the Crissy episode—with all its inconsistencies—will air, because of Winston Brady’s insistence, Beth acknowledges the damage it will do. Brady attaches Beth’s and Max’s names to the episode, ensuring that their reputations will be ruined, and she tells John, “It’ll be devastating to Max’s legacy, and death to my career” (287). Despite this, Beth remains determined to pursue the truth.
Initially, the episode would have told the false narrative of Crissy’s death and Billy Oliver’s “confession.” It would have provided a neat narrative that covered up Barker’s corruption and helped hide a massive injustice. Ultimately, it would have silenced the truth. Brady represents career loyalty without journalistic integrity. He is obsessed with ratings and rushes to air the episode, even taking advantage of Max’s death to make himself look better. Beth’s relentless pursuit to stop the episode is much less about her reputation than it is about her integrity. The eventual pulling of the incorrect Crisis Point episode signifies a victory for truth and justice. The Epilogue shows that in the end, truth wins because Beth creates a new, accurate episode. She is proud of the honest account, regardless of how it is received by the public.
The Emmy
The quest for an Emmy in Blood Moon evolves from a superficial symbol of Max Longren’s career ambition into a motif that underscores Beth’s journalistic integrity. Initially, Max—Beth’s mentor and soon-to-retire boss—tells Beth to get him an Emmy. He had previously manipulated Beth and told her to leave the Crissy Mellin case alone when, in reality, he was encouraging her to pursue it. He hoped that by steering her away from the case, it would motivate her to go after the truth even more ferociously. The elusive award is one of the few that Max has not earned during his illustrious career.
After Max dies in the novel, the Emmy becomes more profound and bittersweet. Beth wants to earn the Emmy as a way to honor her mentor. In many ways, Max is the parental figure that she has not had. Her own parents died in a murder-suicide after her sister passed away. Max’s death leaves Beth with a sense of unfinished business, and his dying wish carries the weight of a legacy. Beth’s continued pursuit of the Crissy story is about uncovering the truth, but it is also about honoring Max. Ultimately, Beth reaches a place of peace around the Emmy. She tells John that she ensured that the new Crissy episode was told truthfully, and she does not require any accolades. This represents the triumph of genuine journalistic integrity over ambition.
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