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toofondofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Such a beautiful and moving novel, one to be treasured and re-read.
leahclair's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
kipbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
lizzie_5678's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
“I find humans dull except in grief.”
This book is incredibly unique, and is almost a literary experiment in grief; part poetry, part prose, it frantically moves between the perspectives of a dad, his sons and a crow, evoking the turbulence of loss within this structure. There’s not much time to think about what is being said, as it is so fast-paced, which I enjoyed in a sense as I felt as though I couldn’t put the book down as a result. Yet at points the chaos was alienating, with the countless lists making me glaze over certain passages without fully taking them in.
I also thought it was interesting how the characters had no names; they are just ‘dad’ and ‘the boys’. It makes them feel as though they are blueprints, characters onto whom we can project our own experiences of grief, which I think is heightened by the fact that we never know which of ‘the boys’ are talking, and are even told at one point that this doesn’t really matter: “i’m either brother”.
Overall, this was very different to what I would usually read, but I liked it!
merrinclarke's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75