In his fond and beautifully crafted reminiscences of his family, the rituals of life in their complete and insulated ecosystem, the characters who populate his world (the goatherd, the smithie, the madam), Anwar Accawi transports us to Magdaluna, the Tower of the Moon.

With him we discover the magic of simple things, the power of a familiar landscape, the scent of freshly pressed olive oil, the pure taste of cool water poured from an earthen jug, as well as the mysteries of such alien things as ice, telephones, and the horseless carriage.

As Anwar grows, he sees the loss of his own childhood innocence mirrored in the loss of the simple village ways. Each encroachment of Western technology means the end of an important strand of life - as when the gramophone, bringing Spanish tango, means the end of the traditional dances. Finally, the villagers disperse in shiny "machinas," not to return for many years, but Magdaluna, ravaged by civil war, is as desolate and distant now as the craters of our moon.