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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
Although this novel opens with the discovery of the dead, murdered body of 16 year old Janet , this is no whodunnit. Rather it is a lyrical exploration of the life of a child and young girl who doesn’t comply with the normal parameters of how such a life should have been in the years following the second world war. Clever, studious and highly attuned to the natural world, Janet has little in common with either her siblings or her classmates. A typical example is her attitude towards Gone with the Wind: while her brother fantasizes about being as handsome as Clark Gable, “Janet could only remember the piled dead and litter of wounded in the great square of Atlanta, and far up against the blue sky the Southern flag flickering in the breeze like the tongue of a snake.”
Her only friend is a jackdaw which she saves when, as a nestling with a crossed beak, he is flung out of the nest: “A tiny bird was there, it watched Janet. Janet watched the bird. Its eye was bright and anxious; it opened and closed its beak, beseeching, soundless.” Against the odds, the bird survives and becomes her pet. Indeed, Claws would like an even closer relationship: “Janet’s jackdaw was behaving strangely. He would climb into her pocket and peer up at her, twisting his head in a beckoning manner, his eyes bright with meaning…He wished to lure her into her pocket and there they would build a nest together. He had chosen her as his mate, his true and everlasting love, for jackdaws are monogamous. How strange that the creature who offered her all this should be a bird. How strange for him that she should be a human.” At her death he is the only one who truly misses her: “he searched for her unceasingly…At last, in desolation, like a tiny kamikaze pilot, he flew straight into the massive walls of Auchnasaugh and killed himself. Janet’s sisters found him, a bunch of waterlogged feathers in a puddle, and they buried him. They shed bitter tears for him and for Janet too, then, but they knew better than to mention it.” The insertion of the word ‘then’ in the last sentence epitomizes how Barker manages to convey a wealth of meaning in the most economical way.
Her only friend is a jackdaw which she saves when, as a nestling with a crossed beak, he is flung out of the nest: “A tiny bird was there, it watched Janet. Janet watched the bird. Its eye was bright and anxious; it opened and closed its beak, beseeching, soundless.” Against the odds, the bird survives and becomes her pet. Indeed, Claws would like an even closer relationship: “Janet’s jackdaw was behaving strangely. He would climb into her pocket and peer up at her, twisting his head in a beckoning manner, his eyes bright with meaning…He wished to lure her into her pocket and there they would build a nest together. He had chosen her as his mate, his true and everlasting love, for jackdaws are monogamous. How strange that the creature who offered her all this should be a bird. How strange for him that she should be a human.” At her death he is the only one who truly misses her: “he searched for her unceasingly…At last, in desolation, like a tiny kamikaze pilot, he flew straight into the massive walls of Auchnasaugh and killed himself. Janet’s sisters found him, a bunch of waterlogged feathers in a puddle, and they buried him. They shed bitter tears for him and for Janet too, then, but they knew better than to mention it.” The insertion of the word ‘then’ in the last sentence epitomizes how Barker manages to convey a wealth of meaning in the most economical way.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book begins and ends with a murder. In between, it is a coming-of-age tale about a girl growing up in post-WWII northern Scotland. The landscape is bleak and windswept and Janet is a misfit, a deeply introverted child marooned in a family of extroverts who decide not to understand her. She is in love with books and languages, not humans. Her home, a genteelly rotting estate called Auchnasaugh, is the only other love in her life.
The book tells the story of Janet's life in her voice from the ages of 3 to 16. Each chapter is like a separate play, with it's own plot line that may, or may not, be connected to a previous chapter. The author uses delicious language to complement Janet's love of words. There are the usual coming-of-age tropes--detested younger siblings, indifferent or inept adults, loss of prized role models, horror over the development of secondary sexual characteristics, and the UK tradition of boarding school with its accompanying distress. The writing makes these tropes less hackneyed, and the story flies along to the disturbing conclusion. My one minor complaint is, does EVERY book or story about a young girl growing up require one or more incidents of attempted (or successful) sexual assault? While this trope is "rooted in reality," more examples of girls maintaining their personal power and control over their bodies would be appreciated.
The book tells the story of Janet's life in her voice from the ages of 3 to 16. Each chapter is like a separate play, with it's own plot line that may, or may not, be connected to a previous chapter. The author uses delicious language to complement Janet's love of words. There are the usual coming-of-age tropes--detested younger siblings, indifferent or inept adults, loss of prized role models, horror over the development of secondary sexual characteristics, and the UK tradition of boarding school with its accompanying distress. The writing makes these tropes less hackneyed, and the story flies along to the disturbing conclusion. My one minor complaint is, does EVERY book or story about a young girl growing up require one or more incidents of attempted (or successful) sexual assault? While this trope is "rooted in reality," more examples of girls maintaining their personal power and control over their bodies would be appreciated.
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
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
Wonderfully literary, but not inaccessible writing. Doesn’t really feel at all like Jackson, Poe or Gorey as it’s compared to in the jacket copy. More of a smart coming of age story with a strong focus on the main character’s post world war teen years forcing her into traditional women’s roles and her trying to figure out how to fit when she doesn’t. Along with great writing there are some genuine moments of humor tossed into the mix and tons of references to other books and Scottish writers which was a real treat. A great choice for book clubs as there’s lots to discuss. While we know at the start there is a murder this O’Caledonia is not at all a murder mystery.
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Irreverent, funny, infuriating, sad and delightful in its own strange little way.