Janet Skeslien Charles | Moonlight in Odessa

Published: May 20, 2010

Montana native Janet Skeslien Charles contrasts post-perestroika Russia with the bland and binding flavor of small-town California, seen through the eyes of an immigrant bride, in her impressive debut.

The head of an Israeli shipping firm and handsome Vlad, a local mobster, are both in love with Daria, the clever heroine who speaks three languages and deftly navigates the intricacies of bribery that oil each business transaction in her Ukrainian home. In her efforts to free herself from their clutches and the complexities of life in Odessa, she turns to Tristan, a man she meets online while working as an interpreter for a dating service called Soviet Unions. But the U.S. – far from the perfection she imagined – is a place where “the smartest girl in Odessa is a waitress.”

Charles grew up in Shelby and attended The University of Montana, where she studied English, French and Russian. After graduating, she spent two years in Odessa as a Soros Fellow. She currently lives in Paris, France, and the U.S.

“The teetering dance between humor and heartbreak burns through this tale that takes place at the intersection of love and money, East and West, male and female,” writes Publishers Weekly, which selected this book as one of its top ten debut novels last fall. It's available in both hardcover and paperback.

Learn more about the author at www.jskesliencharles.com.

– Kristi Niemeyer