Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill

31 reviews

illtakethenightshiftx's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

This novella feels like something I would’ve liked to read in my high school AP Lit class or a lit class in college! There’s so much to pull out of this story - symbols, motifs, themes - and so many ways to frame the characters and the relationships between the unnamed narrator, Michael, Mom, and Father. The narrator is wise beyond her years and that comes across clearly in this story. This is a quick bite that’s unsettling and strange but stays with you - I haven’t stopped thinking about it all day! 

As always, I recommend reading the content warnings before picking this up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Child abuse and Abandonment

jenabest's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

I'm not terribly familiar with The Crane Wife, which is the story that this is a "contemporary retelling" of, but I don't think that dampened my experience. 
This tiny novella packs a punch and leaves you with just as many questions as answers. Kelly Barnhill is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine, as the writing style is just lovely.
Bonus points for the gorgeous cover.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment and Domestic abuse

ehmannky's review

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A weird and dark retelling of The Crane Wife that doesn't try to explain away fantastical elements of fairy tales or make them mundane. It's a slow read, despite being a relatively short book, and it deals with a lot of heavy themes of abuse and how the impacts reverberate well beyond the person who experienced the abuse. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Violence and Gun violence

erin_s's review

dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Excellent! Very gripping, I couldn’t put it down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, and Abandonment

luckylulureads's review

challenging reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Misogyny, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Injury/Injury detail

dokushoka's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Infidelity

Minor: Animal death and Death of parent

bessmonet's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Grief, Violence, Mental illness, Death, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, Blood, Cannibalism, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Cannibalism and Drug abuse

books4escaping's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I liked. Enjoyed reading. I found this a weird story that had be fully engaged in what would happen next. It was like reading an episode of the TV program The Twilight Zone.  I did find the unnamed narrator irritating as she was always complaining about everything and everyone. Some of the events like the taking of the drone did not make sense. I was confused at parts thinking this was set in a dystopian world, then our modern world.

Favourite quotes/lines

The more you love someone, the more dangerous to you they become. The more you love someone, the more willing you are to show them your throat.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Abandonment

timothyotte's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Physical abuse, and Cancer

Moderate: Child abuse, Animal death, and Cancer

forthesanityof1's review

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I was given a free eARC in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley. Thank you so much for the opportunity!

I was enamored with this book from the title and beautiful cover art alone. It's honestly arresting and I think it connects with the story of The Crane Husband very, very well. This is a story about generational trauma through the lens of a hard-working Midwest farming family fighting for survival. It is based on traditional Japanese folklore (The Crane Wife) looking at themes of love, sacrifice, suffering, and the associated moral cost. Both male and female aspects of this family have engaged in repeating a cycle of abuse and being subjected to poverty at times. The narrator of this novella is 15 year old girl (a strength of Barnhill as a writer) who's mother is an artist in the thrall of a crane.

Compared to the folklore, Barnhill's narrative is as atmospheric as it is disturbing at times. For me, the discomfort was an integral part of the reading experience. To me, the crane is intentionally flat as a character because of the lens of our narrator based on her background and her age. I think this works well within the story and brings in an interesting and human horror element around domestic violence and the people who suffer tangentially related to the main victim of domestic violence. We see how the cycle is going to play out and how the narrator works to subvert and break it. I think success looks very different for people, and the lack of an outright victory and happy ending is perhaps the most heartbreaking but most real aspect of this book. I loved how Barnhill centered the narrator on her upbringing in moments and her descriptors of the crane and things going on around her. Especially at the end, Barnhill was able to really show her characters without laboriously telling us as the readers that X is doing Y.

Overall, I really, really enjoyed this. I would definitely recommend it if literary fiction, trauma, resilience, and love are for you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Animal cruelty, Grief, Abandonment, and Animal death