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A review by dawndeydusk
The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
4.5
I was/am/will be blown away by this book. I picked this up entirely by accident, or maybe entirely by the purposed designed by the universe. I was visiting Nashville and of course had to stop by a book shop. This one had a monthly book club, but the unique part is that the books of the month are all hidden in brown paper bags, each packet adorned with 3 or so bullet points of themes. I read found family and anti capitalism and was immediately interested in the mystery book. The month of May was the theme of space. So it all makes sense, now.
This novel, the first of the author’s, is a truly incredible. It isn’t flawless, of course, but its most masterful quality is its ability to spend just the right amount of time focusing on a character or a plot point. It may not seem so in the moment, but I promise you, holes are not just holes. I may come back and adjust this review once I process this book a bit more since I literally just finished it, but the only thing left to say is it speaks volumes about how we interpret time and relationships, how we come to terms with inevitability or swim against its current, how we are selfish and selfless, how our planet is dying and how time is manipulated to fit the contours of expected output.
Anyway, before I get too carried away, here are some favorite quotes:
“…she said the day she stopped moving would be the day that she died” (24)
“‘This is the only sunset I’ve ever known…I’m lucky it’s a pretty one’” (31)
“But a part of me still revolts against the notion that this is our basic nature; that we are, in essence, self-serving creatures. That love is an explainable construct and souls are pretty feint to distract ourselves from our own cruel emptiness.” (94)
“Her stomach bloomed from the drink; that blindside of kindness” (112)
“He says I will not die but my body is on fire & I cannot escape the fear that my heart might stop in this small room so far from home…Overwhelmed by the silly fear that they have thrown out my flowers. Brunias are not fussy plants. Easy to care for. Damn it all, I should have left them instructions. Something handwritten & tied to the vine with nice string to show it mattered. One hour of light & a toss of water, the note would’ve said. That was all they needed for their purple hues to keep, even in winter” (189)
“…nauseous from the blood she smelled in the perfumed City Planet air, even in this cold night, as if the stars themselves were wrapped with iron flowers” (331)
“‘They still believe memories are citizens of the mind. But memories also live in the bones, and the blood’” (356)
“…she had long since learned her life’s purpose. Accepted the nature of herself: that she would always, and ever, chase after what was just out of reach. Even if it was, in the end, a shadow.” (375)
This novel, the first of the author’s, is a truly incredible. It isn’t flawless, of course, but its most masterful quality is its ability to spend just the right amount of time focusing on a character or a plot point. It may not seem so in the moment, but I promise you, holes are not just holes. I may come back and adjust this review once I process this book a bit more since I literally just finished it, but the only thing left to say is it speaks volumes about how we interpret time and relationships, how we come to terms with inevitability or swim against its current, how we are selfish and selfless, how our planet is dying and how time is manipulated to fit the contours of expected output.
Anyway, before I get too carried away, here are some favorite quotes:
“…she said the day she stopped moving would be the day that she died” (24)
“‘This is the only sunset I’ve ever known…I’m lucky it’s a pretty one’” (31)
“But a part of me still revolts against the notion that this is our basic nature; that we are, in essence, self-serving creatures. That love is an explainable construct and souls are pretty feint to distract ourselves from our own cruel emptiness.” (94)
“Her stomach bloomed from the drink; that blindside of kindness” (112)
“He says I will not die but my body is on fire & I cannot escape the fear that my heart might stop in this small room so far from home…Overwhelmed by the silly fear that they have thrown out my flowers. Brunias are not fussy plants. Easy to care for. Damn it all, I should have left them instructions. Something handwritten & tied to the vine with nice string to show it mattered. One hour of light & a toss of water, the note would’ve said. That was all they needed for their purple hues to keep, even in winter” (189)
“…nauseous from the blood she smelled in the perfumed City Planet air, even in this cold night, as if the stars themselves were wrapped with iron flowers” (331)
“‘They still believe memories are citizens of the mind. But memories also live in the bones, and the blood’” (356)
“…she had long since learned her life’s purpose. Accepted the nature of herself: that she would always, and ever, chase after what was just out of reach. Even if it was, in the end, a shadow.” (375)