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A review by btaylorb
Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I have complicated feelings about this book… the two narrators for the audio edition were fantastic, really captured the voice of Boy and Bird.
The resolution if you can call it that is unsatisfying, even deeply problematic, following a meandering plot. My favorite part was Bird’s section, which I wish had been longer and given more space for the relationship between Bird and Snow to develop and lead to more of a climactic confrontation with their mother. There are also plot and character details that are SO subtextual the first time they come up that when they are named outright later on they left me wondering if I had missed something.
The prose in this book is beautiful, wry and observant and successful at the mythic/magical realism balance of making the unusual seem normal and necessary. But the detail of not showing up in mirrors as a red herring annoyed me! Why focus on breaking the “spell” on Boy’s father in the end rather than exploring what that shared experience means for Boy, Snow and Bird, how that functions as its own kind of spell? IDK. I’m cautiously eager read other books by Oyeyemi because the writing style is so good, I just hope the plotting gets more thoughtful.
The resolution if you can call it that is unsatisfying, even deeply problematic, following a meandering plot. My favorite part was Bird’s section, which I wish had been longer and given more space for the relationship between Bird and Snow to develop and lead to more of a climactic confrontation with their mother. There are also plot and character details that are SO subtextual the first time they come up that when they are named outright later on they left me wondering if I had missed something.
The prose in this book is beautiful, wry and observant and successful at the mythic/magical realism balance of making the unusual seem normal and necessary. But the detail of not showing up in mirrors as a red herring annoyed me! Why focus on breaking the “spell” on Boy’s father in the end rather than exploring what that shared experience means for Boy, Snow and Bird, how that functions as its own kind of spell? IDK. I’m cautiously eager read other books by Oyeyemi because the writing style is so good, I just hope the plotting gets more thoughtful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Child abuse, and Classism
Minor: Transphobia and Rape