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therainbowshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Hate crime, Drug use, Body horror, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Homophobia, Blood, Vomit, Violence, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Alcohol, and Outing
Moderate: Police brutality
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Rating: 4/5 stars
The Boy With a Bird in His Chest is a part magical realism/part coming-of-age novel about Owen Tanner, a boy who has a bird in his chest. Literally. Taught his whole life to hide the bird from the world, Owen must eventually learn how to exist in a world where he will always be different, but just might fit in anyway.
I’m going to go ahead and predict that this will not be the last we hear from Emme Lund. The Boy With a Bird in His Chest is a moving, captivating, at times extraordinarily funny and always extraordinarily touching exploration of memorable characters—Owen, his bird Gail, his cousin Tennessee, his uncle Bob, his mother Janice, and a supporting cast of others I won’t name due to spoilers. As with any sprawling coming-of-age novel, the pace was occasionally a bit slow, but there were surprisingly exhilarating moments sprinkled throughout.
Whether the bird is an allegory for anything (Being trans? Being elsewhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum? Something else?) is unclear, though likely, but honestly that didn’t matter nearly so much as the story itself. I’m entirely sure this will wind up being one of the most inventive and creative things I’ve read all year—and possibly ever.
Recommended for anyone, but especially those who like: LGBTQ+ characters; coming-of-age stories; magical realism.
CW: Suicidal thoughts; homophobia (including targeted violence); abandonment; mentions of racism.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Abandonment, Drug use, Violence, Homophobia, Hate crime, Bullying, and Blood
Minor: Racism
caseythereader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
- THE BOY WITH A BIRD IN HIS CHEST is a lovely exploration of queerness through the lens of magical realism. Reading Owen and Gail as a metaphor for being queer (and trans, specifically, was how I read it) is both a gut punch and a warm hug.
- This is a book that makes you feel like you're drifting along the currents with it (fitting for a book about a boy drawn to water). Most of it is just languidly figuring things out, with a few propulsive events sprinkled in. You just need to be willing to ride along with Owen as he finds himself.
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Death of parent