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whatkayleereads's review against another edition
4.0
I was so surprised by this book. I bought it on a whim, and picked it out of my huge TBR stack on a whim. It is now one of the most unique books I've ever read.
This book goes in two different directions, and the chapters alternative between these. One plot line is Jake's present going into the future (standard); the other starts in her past, and goes deeper and deeper into the past, all the way to her childhood.
Because of this, at the beginning, you kind of feel thrown in and confused. "WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE!?" I kept asking myself. Once you get it and get into the flow of the pacing, you can really appreciate how beautifully written and unique the story is. I actually kept putting the book down for a couple days, then picking it back up because at first I found it to be a little confusing (especially with all the Aussie-speak, British-speak, and sheep-farmer-speak). At one point though I became so engrossed that I read ~100 pages in one night until 1am just so I could finish the book. Definitely a page turner.
Like mostly everyone has said, the ending is a bit jarring. I liked it though -- very open-ended and leaves for reader interpretation. I also liked the past story line more than the present one, but I still loved the "thriller" aspect of the present.
This book goes in two different directions, and the chapters alternative between these. One plot line is Jake's present going into the future (standard); the other starts in her past, and goes deeper and deeper into the past, all the way to her childhood.
Because of this, at the beginning, you kind of feel thrown in and confused. "WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE!?" I kept asking myself. Once you get it and get into the flow of the pacing, you can really appreciate how beautifully written and unique the story is. I actually kept putting the book down for a couple days, then picking it back up because at first I found it to be a little confusing (especially with all the Aussie-speak, British-speak, and sheep-farmer-speak). At one point though I became so engrossed that I read ~100 pages in one night until 1am just so I could finish the book. Definitely a page turner.
Like mostly everyone has said, the ending is a bit jarring. I liked it though -- very open-ended and leaves for reader interpretation. I also liked the past story line more than the present one, but I still loved the "thriller" aspect of the present.
mjudleh's review against another edition
3.0
Read in less than three days, so obviously I enjoyed it. The narrative took me a long while to relax into, though. I was halfway through before I really picked up what she was doing with time. Once I knew, I raced through the last pages. What has happened to her? Who gave her those terrible scars? The reader does get answers, but maybe not as complete as we might like.
The question I really found interesting was How much do we trust Jake as a narrator? She thinks some animal is killing her sheep. She's terrified of 'someone' finding her. Is she really in danger? Is she running from danger, or is she afraid of her past catching up with her? There are a lot of questions, only some of which get answered.
The question I really found interesting was How much do we trust Jake as a narrator? She thinks some animal is killing her sheep. She's terrified of 'someone' finding her. Is she really in danger? Is she running from danger, or is she afraid of her past catching up with her? There are a lot of questions, only some of which get answered.
butterontoomuchbread's review against another edition
4.0
This is not a happy story. If you want something happy and fluffy, with a tidy resolution and no heartache, this is not the book for you.
First: Technical and stylistic feedback.
If I had to write just aone two sentence review (I tried), it would be this: This is a story that stays with you days, maybe months, after you put it down. It's a story about a girl who is way too young for the life she's led, who suffers from night terrors, who's tried compartmentalizing her past and the pieces are beginning to bleed together.
I enjoyed this author's style, which was both disorientating and fascinating all at once. The best analogy I have for the treatment of the book's chronology is that it is a lot like Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction." There are three, maybe four (unless I missed something as I flew through the book) different points in time which are being addressed in this work, and at first it is very jarring to be shifted between them.
The Aussie vocabulary was also a bit tricky for me, at first, and the author also uses the vocabulary of a shepherd very naturally and with little explanation other than context clues.
But the style lends itself very well to the telling of this story, and because of the way the story is told it becomes a lot easier to understand the trauma and heartache that the narrator is very cleverly avoiding.
Second: Plot.
The only reason I didn't give this one five stars is because the very end of the book didn't feel like a resolution. The catharsis I expected felt only half-present, at first (the more I reflect on the story, the more it feels like perhaps this is perfectly appropriate, and that stories like this aren't about catharsis, but are instead about being honest about yourself and the catharsis is what comes after you put the book down).
I found it interesting how each segment of Jake's life was more or less defined by her relationships to the men around her: Otto; Don and Lloyd; Greg and Clare; Denver and her father. None of the women can really be said to be on her side. Those two facets together could make this an excellent choice for a book club wanting to start a discussion about the feminist movement, and about young women trapped as sex workers, but that's definitely not everything that this book is about.
First: Technical and stylistic feedback.
If I had to write just a
I enjoyed this author's style, which was both disorientating and fascinating all at once. The best analogy I have for the treatment of the book's chronology is that it is a lot like Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction." There are three, maybe four (unless I missed something as I flew through the book) different points in time which are being addressed in this work, and at first it is very jarring to be shifted between them.
The Aussie vocabulary was also a bit tricky for me, at first, and the author also uses the vocabulary of a shepherd very naturally and with little explanation other than context clues.
But the style lends itself very well to the telling of this story, and because of the way the story is told it becomes a lot easier to understand the trauma and heartache that the narrator is very cleverly avoiding.
Second: Plot.
The only reason I didn't give this one five stars is because the very end of the book didn't feel like a resolution. The catharsis I expected felt only half-present, at first (the more I reflect on the story, the more it feels like perhaps this is perfectly appropriate, and that stories like this aren't about catharsis, but are instead about being honest about yourself and the catharsis is what comes after you put the book down).
I found it interesting how each segment of Jake's life was more or less defined by her relationships to the men around her: Otto; Don and Lloyd; Greg and Clare; Denver and her father. None of the women can really be said to be on her side. Those two facets together could make this an excellent choice for a book club wanting to start a discussion about the feminist movement, and about young women trapped as sex workers, but that's definitely not everything that this book is about.
archimo's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this book. Backwards and forwards in time at the same time, alternating chapters, starting from a sort of midpoint. And it was a bit of a thriller/mystery. Love items unsolved - not frustrating, just keeping the mystery. 4-1/2 stars
jennifer_mangieri's review against another edition
3.0
Well, I like the idea of Jake (the female main character) surviving incest and sexual slavery and prostitution, getting her own place far away from Australia (why is that literature featuring Australia always makes me emphatically NOT want to go there?), & forming a bond with a gay man looking for healing and peace. But WHAT is the unknown animal or monster? WHAT IS IT???! I feel like I just watched Close Encounters ("this means something!") but I never got to see the UFOs! Huh?!
Warning, there is animal death in this book. But it was sort of OK animal death. Given the overall dark tone of this book, it seemed like just another thing that happened!
Despite what I've said here, I basically liked the book. I almost gave up on it about 60 pages in, but having got past the important 50 page mark, decided to continue, & I was glad I did. Jake is certainly a survivor and that's a key take-away here.
Warning, there is animal death in this book. But it was sort of OK animal death. Given the overall dark tone of this book, it seemed like just another thing that happened!
Despite what I've said here, I basically liked the book. I almost gave up on it about 60 pages in, but having got past the important 50 page mark, decided to continue, & I was glad I did. Jake is certainly a survivor and that's a key take-away here.
kris_mccracken's review against another edition
3.0
All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld
As an oddly structured novel, the book features alternating chapters from the perspective of our narrator's present (told in the past tense) and her past (told in the present tense). Those chapters set in the present progress in an even and linear fashion. Those chapters set in the past hop and leap backwards in a disconnected and disjointed way. While this is an innovative way to capture our protagonist's haphazard and traumatic past, the fragmented nature of the telling is confusing at times.
There is some evocative writing here, with those sections set on the remote sheep station and in the present particularly resonant. Other sections failed to convince, with the strange relationship with the withered Otto and the period of sex work in a port town in the Pilbara striking a bit of a dull note to my ear.
We know very little about our central character, as Wyld lets the past emerge in fragments and half-light. The one constant is a woman carrying a load, traumatised by something (or someone) and choosing self-isolation as her defence. I appreciated how the relationship emerges with the similarly damaged Lloyd, which emerges in the present in a natural and hopeful fashion. This gives the entire piece some possibility of light and redemption amidst the dark and desolate surroundings.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2
As an oddly structured novel, the book features alternating chapters from the perspective of our narrator's present (told in the past tense) and her past (told in the present tense). Those chapters set in the present progress in an even and linear fashion. Those chapters set in the past hop and leap backwards in a disconnected and disjointed way. While this is an innovative way to capture our protagonist's haphazard and traumatic past, the fragmented nature of the telling is confusing at times.
There is some evocative writing here, with those sections set on the remote sheep station and in the present particularly resonant. Other sections failed to convince, with the strange relationship with the withered Otto and the period of sex work in a port town in the Pilbara striking a bit of a dull note to my ear.
We know very little about our central character, as Wyld lets the past emerge in fragments and half-light. The one constant is a woman carrying a load, traumatised by something (or someone) and choosing self-isolation as her defence. I appreciated how the relationship emerges with the similarly damaged Lloyd, which emerges in the present in a natural and hopeful fashion. This gives the entire piece some possibility of light and redemption amidst the dark and desolate surroundings.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2
mollylovestoread's review against another edition
5.0
Disturbing and haunting. I understand the criticisms of the plot in other rater's reviews (how did she get through immigration? how did she get a rifle?), but despite this, I really really enjoyed the unwinding and tension as it progressed.
robinshtulman's review against another edition
4.0
An ugly story told beautifully.
Alternating chapters reveal Jake’s present, going forward, and her past, spooling in reverse and explaining how she became who she is now.
Australia us a place I’ve often imagined and wished to visit, mainly to see the landscape and fauna. This was a heartbreaking book to read now - for Jake’s trajectory, yes, but for all Australians and all the animals suffering terribly as the continent burns.
One star short because the answer to the mystery in the present is never shared with the reader. If it isn’t important, it shouldn’t be teased so heavily in all the advertising about the book.
Alternating chapters reveal Jake’s present, going forward, and her past, spooling in reverse and explaining how she became who she is now.
Australia us a place I’ve often imagined and wished to visit, mainly to see the landscape and fauna. This was a heartbreaking book to read now - for Jake’s trajectory, yes, but for all Australians and all the animals suffering terribly as the continent burns.
One star short because the answer to the mystery in the present is never shared with the reader. If it isn’t important, it shouldn’t be teased so heavily in all the advertising about the book.
rlwertheimer's review against another edition
3.0
Liked the backwards narrative. Creepy, sad, unresolved story.