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Pelican Blood
One of the most exciting debut novels for years. Foul-mouthed but lyrical, with a tragic love story at its core, Pelican Blood gatecrashes our assumptions about obsession, anorak pastimes and what makes life worth living. 'I heard somebody say you don't think about your troubles near water. Me, I can't feel low around birds. it wipes your mind clean just watching them.' Birders are addicts. Rarely-seen birds are the best drug they know. Whether they're cleaning toilets, sitting in a caff, doodling or dancing, when the pager bleeps with news that up on Stornoway or out on the Kent saltflats or on a Scilly rock there's a supertick sighting, Bish, Stevie Red Bus and the gang pile into their car and belt up the motorway just for the pure thrill, the shared exhaltation of seeing that rare bird in all its feathered reality. It's some way to life a life, at least. Half the time it matters so much you'll kill to protect it and half the time you wonder why bother carrying on at all. And somewhere in between you might just find something that looks like mating for find it, lose it, then find it all over again.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 5, 2011
The characters of Pelican Blood are urban with rather course language and almost seem fatalistic. If I knew them in real life I would doubt if we would be friends as the only thing in common we seem to have are birds. Yet I found them strangley compelling. The main character acts as the narrator and we don't even learn his name which doesn't really matter. I was drawn to this novel because the main players are birdwatchers, as am I. I can understand some of their passion and share part of it. I don't consider myself as obsessive as they are, but when you see a gull and know to check the gonydeal angle of the bill and the mirrors on the primaries you're probably on a slippery slope. I thought the title of the book was clever but I didn't realise this until the ending which caught me completely off guard. It was surprisingly moving. An enjoyable read.
December 1, 2012
In January our local discount book shop was having an extra sale. Normally this wouldn't be anything to get overly excited about as the stock would hardly vary throughout the year and anything worth buying was rarely priced at more than £2.99 anyway but this year, whether for reasons of overstocking or global financial collapse, their sale was different. For a start there was a huge influx of new stock, all priced at 99p, then I discovered that my local branch and the branch near where I work were carrying different stock and finally as the month progressed the sale added in a 'three for the price of two' element so suddenly it was possible to buy three books for £1.98, an absolutely stunning offer in anyone's book. So I end up visiting the two stores about five times during January and buying at least three books each time and at that price I was able to take a chance on a lot of books that I would probably have not looked twice at if they were full price, mainly because I don't like buying books at full price under and conditions but also because I'd never even heard of most of the authors and of all the ones I bought had only previously read one of them.
The selection process for buying books that I tend to employ is always twofold. First of all I always judge a book by it's cover in that if it has metallic lettering of any kind, a lot of white space or the words Ian McEwan on the cover then it's probably not for me. Secondly I'll read the blurb, though not to get an overview of the plot but rather to look at the words that they (the author? the publisher?) have chosen to use to promote the book. If I end up thinking That's how you choose to promote it? Really? then it probably isn't going to be any good but if there is a single word on there that stands out I usually go for it. Okay, so I know that this is probably an extremely arbitrary way of deciding what to read but the are so many books out there and only so much time in which to read them so I have to employ some method of choice. Gore Vidal once stated that he would only read books by nobel laureates as this way he was guaranteed to always read good writing. When I first heard this I thought, You fool, you'll miss out on loads of other good books as well but now I understand his thinking and though my criteria are different I have to be just as definite in my reading habits, especially if it's an author that I've never heard of.
Which brings me to Pelican Blood. The phrase that sparked my interest here was that this book is a "foul-mouthed but lyrical...[look at]...our assumptions about...anorak pastimes" and whoever came up with that tagline certainly earned their copywriter's fee that day as it sums up the book perfectly. Birdwatching may be seen as a bit of a sociopathic hobby but it certainly isn't one that is normally associated with psychopathic behaviour and it's this juxtaposition which gives the book both its humour and its heart. We tend to think of bird watchers as a bit weird but the friendships and lifestyles of the three main characters portrayed here are both touching and completely normal, the sort of friendships that anyone would be lucky to have. What the book succeeds in doing more than anything is to make the reader realise that there is no difference between being able to recognise a bird by it's call, wing formation or migratory habits and knowing ever goal scorer for last season's FA cup or the power to weight ratio of the latest Ferrari.
We are introduced to the fact that the main character and narrator is the murderer from early on (in fact it's referenced in the blurb on the rear cover so it's not a spoiler to mention it here) just as we are with Raskolnikov in Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment and just as in that other novel it is made very clear early on that our sympathies should be firmly with the murderer though unlike with Raskolnikov the (anti-) hero's reasons for crossing the line to murderer are never fully explored. In fact for a book that has a first person narrative we learn precious little about the motivation of the main character, only learning certain essential facts as and when the author sees fit to reveal them. This does help to keep the narrative flowing and engenders a certain tension that other first person narratives sometimes lack but at the same time leads to the reader questioning some of the his actions as they do not seem to fit with what we know (so far) of his character.
By the end of Pelican Blood the reader is very clearly rooting for the protagonist and the finale does work in the way that even the most assiduous reader will be challenged to see how the whole thing will turn out before it actually happens. The tension which has underlined the novel throughout remains until the last few pages and the final resolution is possibly the best that could have been hoped for in the circumstances. Pelican Blood is socio-psychopathy with a twinkle in its eye.
The selection process for buying books that I tend to employ is always twofold. First of all I always judge a book by it's cover in that if it has metallic lettering of any kind, a lot of white space or the words Ian McEwan on the cover then it's probably not for me. Secondly I'll read the blurb, though not to get an overview of the plot but rather to look at the words that they (the author? the publisher?) have chosen to use to promote the book. If I end up thinking That's how you choose to promote it? Really? then it probably isn't going to be any good but if there is a single word on there that stands out I usually go for it. Okay, so I know that this is probably an extremely arbitrary way of deciding what to read but the are so many books out there and only so much time in which to read them so I have to employ some method of choice. Gore Vidal once stated that he would only read books by nobel laureates as this way he was guaranteed to always read good writing. When I first heard this I thought, You fool, you'll miss out on loads of other good books as well but now I understand his thinking and though my criteria are different I have to be just as definite in my reading habits, especially if it's an author that I've never heard of.
Which brings me to Pelican Blood. The phrase that sparked my interest here was that this book is a "foul-mouthed but lyrical...[look at]...our assumptions about...anorak pastimes" and whoever came up with that tagline certainly earned their copywriter's fee that day as it sums up the book perfectly. Birdwatching may be seen as a bit of a sociopathic hobby but it certainly isn't one that is normally associated with psychopathic behaviour and it's this juxtaposition which gives the book both its humour and its heart. We tend to think of bird watchers as a bit weird but the friendships and lifestyles of the three main characters portrayed here are both touching and completely normal, the sort of friendships that anyone would be lucky to have. What the book succeeds in doing more than anything is to make the reader realise that there is no difference between being able to recognise a bird by it's call, wing formation or migratory habits and knowing ever goal scorer for last season's FA cup or the power to weight ratio of the latest Ferrari.
We are introduced to the fact that the main character and narrator is the murderer from early on (in fact it's referenced in the blurb on the rear cover so it's not a spoiler to mention it here) just as we are with Raskolnikov in Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment and just as in that other novel it is made very clear early on that our sympathies should be firmly with the murderer though unlike with Raskolnikov the (anti-) hero's reasons for crossing the line to murderer are never fully explored. In fact for a book that has a first person narrative we learn precious little about the motivation of the main character, only learning certain essential facts as and when the author sees fit to reveal them. This does help to keep the narrative flowing and engenders a certain tension that other first person narratives sometimes lack but at the same time leads to the reader questioning some of the his actions as they do not seem to fit with what we know (so far) of his character.
By the end of Pelican Blood the reader is very clearly rooting for the protagonist and the finale does work in the way that even the most assiduous reader will be challenged to see how the whole thing will turn out before it actually happens. The tension which has underlined the novel throughout remains until the last few pages and the final resolution is possibly the best that could have been hoped for in the circumstances. Pelican Blood is socio-psychopathy with a twinkle in its eye.
January 1, 2015
Normally I wouldn't complete reading a book as un-interesting and un-engaging as this, but to fair to it I did want to find out if he would be caught for the murder that he commits in the first chapter. And whilst the relationship with Stevie might have helped this creep up to two stars, I'm afraid the persistent need to bombard the reader with (IMO) unnecessary details of birds and bird-watching just made this a drudge of a book for me. Thankfully I got this book out of a 'lucky bag' which offered me five books for next to nothing, but I still feel cheated!
January 3, 2015
Murder and suicide seem like strange things to mix with obsessive birding, but I really enjoyed this book for its accurate depictions of birding and for the fact that it was a topic I never imagined I'd read about. The end was hard for me to understand - how could Stevie like the narrator enough to do that?
As a side note, the movie is awful. For one thing, in the book Stevie, the female main character, is just as much a twitcher as her buddies, but in the movie she's a bizarre suicide enthusiast they meet online.
As a side note, the movie is awful. For one thing, in the book Stevie, the female main character, is just as much a twitcher as her buddies, but in the movie she's a bizarre suicide enthusiast they meet online.
September 18, 2015
Reads a bit like a chat with a mate. Albeit a mate that's just murdered someone. Had heard lot of bad reviews glad I ignored them.
August 23, 2023
despite what is an absolutely insane premise and ending, it didn’t really feel that exciting during the read for me. The writing style felt more tell, and felt like a drag. The best part of this novel was easily when he shot the egg collector and it was all downhill from there. The only reason I kept reading it was a) to find out if he gets caught (he doesn’t) and b) to get my $2 of book worth. I would not pay more than what I did for this book, and it was a slightly disappointing op shop find. :(
The only significant bits were the start and the ending, where his girlfriend admits to murder in the protagonists place and commits suicide? Completely insane by the way but was still somehow boring to read, and I could not tell you the plot points in between. They reference english birds too much which I feel is quite niche; perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I was both English and a birder, otherwise it was utter nonsense to me.
The only significant bits were the start and the ending, where his girlfriend admits to murder in the protagonists place and commits suicide? Completely insane by the way but was still somehow boring to read, and I could not tell you the plot points in between. They reference english birds too much which I feel is quite niche; perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I was both English and a birder, otherwise it was utter nonsense to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2018
The overarching metaphor of this book weaves in the impact of the book's title in a way that is far punchier than anything I've ever read before. The content itself is not richly riveting but the underlying message tied up in aviary metaphors is beautiful.
I guess it's odd in that the book is fine...a little boring, yet it has this everlasting poetic quality. You absolutely have to read until the end.
I guess it's odd in that the book is fine...a little boring, yet it has this everlasting poetic quality. You absolutely have to read until the end.
January 6, 2014
This is a brilliant novel, set in the world of twitchers (obsessive birdwatchers who are totally prepared to leap on a plane at a moments notice just to see a rare bird - I'm a birdwatcher myself but I'm definitely not a twitcher).
The narrator of the story is a young, foul mouthed cleaner who sometimes takes the law into his own hands when it comes to dealing with those responsible for crimes against birds (eg egg collectors or landowners who shoot and poison birds of prey). He's in an on-off relationship with Stevie, a young artist who makes a living illustrating bird books and they are joined in many of their bird trips by Bish, a Polish musician.
The book really gets into the obsessions of the birdwatching world (Freddi is himself a twitcher) with details such as:
'Bish would pick out a first winter arctic tern in a flock of commons by the translucent triangle on the trailing edge of the upperwing - but anyone can do that.'
It also deals with issues including wildlife crime, police brutality, tax evasion, depression, the loss of our wild places and the value of art, without trivialing them and while remaining entertaining throughout.
Definitely recommended, though the odd mix of specialised birding knowledge and urban gritty realism may mean it doesn't appeal to everyone.
The narrator of the story is a young, foul mouthed cleaner who sometimes takes the law into his own hands when it comes to dealing with those responsible for crimes against birds (eg egg collectors or landowners who shoot and poison birds of prey). He's in an on-off relationship with Stevie, a young artist who makes a living illustrating bird books and they are joined in many of their bird trips by Bish, a Polish musician.
The book really gets into the obsessions of the birdwatching world (Freddi is himself a twitcher) with details such as:
'Bish would pick out a first winter arctic tern in a flock of commons by the translucent triangle on the trailing edge of the upperwing - but anyone can do that.'
It also deals with issues including wildlife crime, police brutality, tax evasion, depression, the loss of our wild places and the value of art, without trivialing them and while remaining entertaining throughout.
Definitely recommended, though the odd mix of specialised birding knowledge and urban gritty realism may mean it doesn't appeal to everyone.
November 18, 2017
Quite a touching book, despite the actions of the narrator, but the events of the ending were just a complete curveball to me ... dare I mention the word “fridging” here? Nevertheless, the final moments of the book stuck out to me as being particularly breathtaking, and I did enjoy the book, I just felt that everything that happened with Stevie was ... unnecessary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2022
Since I read this book years ago, I haven't been able to forget it. I judged it solely by the title and cover (a vibrant, pop-art style image) and was completely blindsided by the dryness inside.
It felt a mixture of comfort and unease the whole time reading it. Or maybe unease isn't the right word. More like... subtle, familiar misery.
It felt a mixture of comfort and unease the whole time reading it. Or maybe unease isn't the right word. More like... subtle, familiar misery.
December 31, 2007
Terrible. I'm a birder, but I don't get british birders.
December 26, 2012
Really good book. I enjoyed the characters and the subject of birding.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews