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A review by jashanac
The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill
3.5
Summary:
Award-winning author Kelly Barnhill brings her singular talents to The Crane Husband, a raw, powerful story of love, sacrifice, and family.
Re-Readability:
Probably wouldn't re-read this.
Characters:
This is a novella and you know how I tend to fare with novellas. The characters felt slightly surface-level, I guess. I liked the main character and her resilience and practicality and protectiveness over her brother.
Plot:
Obviously this is kind of an "odd" story and there's a lot that isn't quite explained, as far as whether it's meant to be real or fantasy -- very much a magical realism/fabulism vibe. (I'm not sure if it's actually categorized as that or not.) I imagine that anyone who saw abuse in the household as a child would relate to this story a lot and perceive it entirely differently from those of us who didn't have that experience.
The ending felt really rushed and kind of tacked-on, to me. I think I would have liked the ending more if the main character's narration had ended pretty soon after the Big Event. Like, having her explain what happened 20 years later in such a rushed fashion just fell a bit flat for me.
Themes:
Sacrifice. Family. Abusive relationships. Fear.
Award-winning author Kelly Barnhill brings her singular talents to The Crane Husband, a raw, powerful story of love, sacrifice, and family.
Re-Readability:
Probably wouldn't re-read this.
Characters:
This is a novella and you know how I tend to fare with novellas. The characters felt slightly surface-level, I guess. I liked the main character and her resilience and practicality and protectiveness over her brother.
Plot:
Obviously this is kind of an "odd" story and there's a lot that isn't quite explained, as far as whether it's meant to be real or fantasy -- very much a magical realism/fabulism vibe. (I'm not sure if it's actually categorized as that or not.) I imagine that anyone who saw abuse in the household as a child would relate to this story a lot and perceive it entirely differently from those of us who didn't have that experience.
The ending felt really rushed and kind of tacked-on, to me. I think I would have liked the ending more if the main character's narration had ended pretty soon after the Big Event. Like, having her explain what happened 20 years later in such a rushed fashion just fell a bit flat for me.
Themes:
Sacrifice. Family. Abusive relationships. Fear.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror