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Bird by Crystal Chan
May. 23rd, 2016 10:39 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
Grandpa stopped speaking the day he killed my brother, John.
His name was John until Grandpa said he looked more like a Bird with the way he kept jumping off things, and the name stuck. Bird’s thick, black hair was like the head feathers of the blackbirds, Grandpa said, and he bet that one day Bird would fly like one too. Grandpa kept talking like that, and no one paid him much notice until Bird jumped off a cliff. From that day on, Grandpa never spoke another word. Not one.
The day that Bird tried to fly, the grown-ups were out looking for him – all of them except Mom and Granny. That’s because that very day, I was born.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Crystal Chan’s debut middle grade novel is a beautifully written story about grief and loss that was deservedly nominated for the 2016 Waterstone’s Book Award. Jewel is an easy protagonist to love – smart, lonely and desperate for more from her family, each of whom is too wrapped in their own grief following her brother’s death to give her the time and care she deserves. Her budding friendship with John and the slow – and emotionally devastating – reveal of his own problems, is wonderfully portrayed and I always believed in Jewel’s reactions to the same. There’s an air of magical realism to the story – particularly shown through the actions of Jewel’s father and grandfather as they use traditional techniques to try and stop the duppies from hurting Jewel (and thus showing how much they love her) and it’s left to the reader to decide whether they’re real. The book is a must-read for anyone who wants to read books with more diversity, especially as Chan shows the culture clash between Jewel’s mother and father, made worse by their grief and helplessness at the death of their son and a scene where Jewel’s mother takes her to see a priest is especially poignant. I couldn’t find anything to nitpick in this book – it’s a stunning read from start to finish and I can’t wait to see what Chan does next.
His name was John until Grandpa said he looked more like a Bird with the way he kept jumping off things, and the name stuck. Bird’s thick, black hair was like the head feathers of the blackbirds, Grandpa said, and he bet that one day Bird would fly like one too. Grandpa kept talking like that, and no one paid him much notice until Bird jumped off a cliff. From that day on, Grandpa never spoke another word. Not one.
The day that Bird tried to fly, the grown-ups were out looking for him – all of them except Mom and Granny. That’s because that very day, I was born.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Crystal Chan’s debut middle grade novel is a beautifully written story about grief and loss that was deservedly nominated for the 2016 Waterstone’s Book Award. Jewel is an easy protagonist to love – smart, lonely and desperate for more from her family, each of whom is too wrapped in their own grief following her brother’s death to give her the time and care she deserves. Her budding friendship with John and the slow – and emotionally devastating – reveal of his own problems, is wonderfully portrayed and I always believed in Jewel’s reactions to the same. There’s an air of magical realism to the story – particularly shown through the actions of Jewel’s father and grandfather as they use traditional techniques to try and stop the duppies from hurting Jewel (and thus showing how much they love her) and it’s left to the reader to decide whether they’re real. The book is a must-read for anyone who wants to read books with more diversity, especially as Chan shows the culture clash between Jewel’s mother and father, made worse by their grief and helplessness at the death of their son and a scene where Jewel’s mother takes her to see a priest is especially poignant. I couldn’t find anything to nitpick in this book – it’s a stunning read from start to finish and I can’t wait to see what Chan does next.
