Bird by Crystal Chan
May. 23rd, 2016 10:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe 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.
12-year-old Jewel lives with her parents and grandfather in a remote house in the small town of Caledonia, Iowa. The day she was born her older brother, John (nicknamed Bird by their grandfather), died in a tragic accident when he jumped from a local cliff. Her grandfather hasn’t spoken since, while her father has become superstitious – concerned that duppies (evil spirits) will do further hurt to his family, while her mother is angry and sad, throwing herself into her work for the town’s mayor.
Jewel is fascinated with rocks and desperately wants to be a geologist (an occupation that her mother disapproves of). The gossip and superstition surrounding her brother’s death makes it hard for her to make friends, while her family are all caught within their own grief and as a result, she’s lonely. Then, one night, while out climbing her favourite tree, she meets a young boy called John who’s visiting his uncle but whose presence threatens to blow Jewel’s family apart ...
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.
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.
12-year-old Jewel lives with her parents and grandfather in a remote house in the small town of Caledonia, Iowa. The day she was born her older brother, John (nicknamed Bird by their grandfather), died in a tragic accident when he jumped from a local cliff. Her grandfather hasn’t spoken since, while her father has become superstitious – concerned that duppies (evil spirits) will do further hurt to his family, while her mother is angry and sad, throwing herself into her work for the town’s mayor.
Jewel is fascinated with rocks and desperately wants to be a geologist (an occupation that her mother disapproves of). The gossip and superstition surrounding her brother’s death makes it hard for her to make friends, while her family are all caught within their own grief and as a result, she’s lonely. Then, one night, while out climbing her favourite tree, she meets a young boy called John who’s visiting his uncle but whose presence threatens to blow Jewel’s family apart ...
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.
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.
