First of all I would just like to point out that I have only read the original Welsh version of this novel. Briefly this novel follows a madman and his memories as he wanders around his childhood home. The man finds it difficult to tell the difference between past and present and he presents a distorted picture of the village life, a village where suicide, transvestism and insanity are a constant presence. These scenes become more poignant since they are presented by the voice of a child.

The greatest strength of the novel is that it shows rather than tells. Thus we are presented by the insanity of a crowd after a football match, the insanity of a mother after a lifetime of poverty and hardship as a single mother, the fevour of organised passionate religion and the eccentricities of different characters within the novel. It is left to the reader to decide how much of these, and all the suffering and death the child witnesses throughout the novel affect his future state of mind.

In addition to insanity the novel deals with the empty hypocripsy of organised religion, the intolerance of a small community, poverty, the loss of innocence, guilt, the Oedipus complex, the psychology of a child.

The main character is particularly well drawn and the supporting cast are all interesting. Since the novel draws heavily on Caradog Prichard's own life the events themselves feel alive, especially the scene where the child's mother is sent to an assylum.

If you dislike ambiguous novels however this may not be the best novel for you. For example an ever present destructive earth pagan goddess seems to dominate the present of the main character. She may be an embodiment of the main character's guilt, a mother figure he yearns for or a lost love. It is difficult to be sure. Otherwise I would highly recomend that you read this book.

Well rounded characters. Very readable

One moonlit night is a first person narrative which follows a man through a north Wales village on a moonlit night having been away for many years. On passing through different memories come to his mind. So far so conventional.

The man is insane, he speaks with the voice of a child. Stuck in a never never land inside his head he finds it difficult to tell the difference between happier times as a youth and his current more troubled state. The narrative does not follow a conventional timeline but jumps to and fro between different times in his life as they come to mind ever leading towards the climatic downfall.
The village like the character and the novel itself is shrouded by a dark atmosphere. In the first chapter alone we are introduced to insanity, illness, suicide and sexual immorality made all the more poignant since they are seen through the eyes of a child.

The main theme of the novel is insanity. The novel deals with insanity in it's entirety whether the insanity of a crowd engulphed by football passion in a game or engulphed by intense religious passion; or an individual's insanity as he confronts death, sexual passion or following a lifetime of suffering. The mother in the novel breaks under the strain of illness, poverty and being single parent.

Other themes discussed are the loss of innocence of youth, the pressures of poverty on a rural community, suicide, religion and the empty hypocrisy of organised religion, the destructive power of sexual desire, the relationship between men and women, the Oedipus complex and guilt.

Caradog Prichaard used a great deal from his own life in writing this novel therefore the characters are rounded and interesting and there is a real sense of gritty realism to the events. However this novel is not for those who intensely dislike ambiguous novels. There is some ambiguity about what happened to the boys father for example. Otherwise buy this book.