Moon Tiger is about a lot of subjects. For one, it's about intimacy and the emotional need for love. In another way, though, it could easily be seen as a political commentary on the development of Europe in the 20th century. But at the center of all the different spirals and threads of narrative, there is Claudia, and her intimate approach of death as a terminal cancer patient. This is where the book finds its center, around death, love and the meaning of life.
In a weird way, Claudia's tangential involvement in serious geopolitical events seems to be a little detached, and maybe a little unexpected. Instead of playing serious roles in the development of history, like Forrest Gump, perhaps, the events seem to be merely the setting for a personal drama playing out. That personal story begins with a sexual relationship with Claudia's own brother. The element of incest is a difficult aspect to understand fully, but as a metaphor, it could be an indication of dysfunction on Claudia's part, or it could be a strange metaphor about identity and duty to one's family, but regardless, it stands in striking contrast to the epic, Earth-shattering wars that begin to unfold.
Look then at Claudia's behavior on the doorstep of death. She finds herself willing to apologize to Lisa, her daughter, and after a life of seeking love, she asks for Tom's diary to her. Tom's death starts to come to the surface of these complex emotional relationships, and finally, Claudia finds the central challenge of her life, and in light of her own demise, it's really the only thing worth trying to figure out. What does his love for her mean about his death? Why has she failed to mourn his death these long years?
The answer may be tied to the fact that in light of her own death, she is forced to understand death directly, and it reminds her of another death she failed to work through—her strongest love, Tom. The political element is like counterpoint to that theme, because 20th century world politics were also centered around coming to terms with unspeakable deaths from the World Wars. In a few words, the meaning of this novel could be said to be, "Memento Mori."
