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imrereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the story of a mother (Tiny) and her child (Chouette), her owl-baby, this little one with her strange apparence, who will never learn to walk or talk and causes chaos wherever she goes. Her mother loves her for who she is while the father want to try any and every treatmwnt available to make her better (or rather make her normative — because underneath the strange magical realism we find a story about parenting a non-normative child.)
This is a strange and queer book about fierce motherly love, disability and ability, and breaking free from expectations. It opens with this wonderful passage:
"I dream I'm making tender love with an owl. The next morning I see talon marks across my chest that trace the path of my owl-lober's embrace. Two weeks later I learn that I'm pregnant.
You may wonder: How could such a thing come to pass between a woman and an owl?
I, too, am astounded, because my owl-lover was a woman."
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Blood, and Emotional abuse
readingpicnic's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Animal death, Ableism, Blood, Animal cruelty, Gaslighting, Murder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
redrockhoney's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Ableism, Gore, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content and Excrement
Minor: Abortion
savvylit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Utilizing magical realism, Oshetsky leaves it up to the reader to decide whether or not baby Chouette is an actual owl. I personally am firmly in the camp of readers who believe that this whole tale is a metaphor for the challenges of raising a disabled child. The way that Tiny's in-laws call her "courageous" for raising Chouette, the way that her husband is obsessed with finding medical "fixes"... It's more than clear that Tiny's isolation throughout the novel is due to other people's heartlessness and lack of understanding. The people around Tiny refuse to acknowledge her mental illness before and after her pregnancy. And they refuse to engage with Chouette, choosing to be frightened by her differences.
All in all, Chouette is an emotionally devastating book written in an engaging, lyrical manner. I highly recommend reading this - as long as you are prepared to join Chouette & Tiny as they take on the world alone.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Medical content, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Animal death
hotdrinks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gore, Excrement, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Infidelity, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, Dementia, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Child abuse
Minor: Racism, Abortion, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Alcoholism, Grief, Car accident, and Body shaming
conspystery's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Ultimately, though, I think my favorite thing about Chouette is the versatility of its resonance-- something that is achieved, I think, by Oshetsky’s authenticity in this story. No matter how you interpret Chouette, no matter what allegorical or literal meaning you find in it, it has something important and personal to say about the measures society uses to evaluate, predict, and judge individuality-- and how we can and should transcend those measures which emphasize perceived acceptance over authentic personhood, no matter what society has ingrained in us to do instead. I adore Chouette. I can’t wait to read it again.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Excrement, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Blood, Animal death, Ableism, Medical trauma, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
gondorgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Infidelity, Grief, and Vomit
Minor: Forced institutionalization
emilyexley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Blood, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
ra22ouille'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
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, and Emotional abuse
lsmith36'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
5.0
I was horrified and sad and angry the entire way through. When I finished it I had to release the breath I couldn't breathe. Spectacular.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Animal death, Blood, Ableism, and Pregnancy