When We Were Birds

by Maria Mutch

From Governor General’s Literary Awards finalist Maria Mutch comes a startlingly inventive debut collection that recalls the works of Margaret Atwood, Kelly Link, Karen Russell, and Heather O’Neill.

Wolves talk, notes magically appear on a woman’s skin, Red Riding Hood concocts a clever escape, a peregrine turns into a woman with strange compulsions, and Glenn Gould re-emerges into the world as a bird trapped by curious onlookers.

Speaking in the irresistible language of fable, romance, and eroticism, these deliciously dark and evocative stories masterfully navigate the space where perception and reality blur.

Punctuated with photographs by the author and exquisite drawings from an 1884 book entitled Practical Taxidermy, When We Were Birds is an unforgettably intoxicating assemblage of stories from a gifted writer that will surprise and delight any reader—leaving them craving more.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Fantasy, Canada, Magical Realism, Short Story Collection

256 pages, Hardcover

First published April 24, 2018

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy stories tumbling towards the dark said, testing the edges, walking the line of the absurd – then you will no doubt enjoy this collection by Maria Mutch.

This was perfect for picking up and reading a story when I didn’t have the desire or time to get into the novels I had on my nightstand. I enjoyed dipping my toes into its dreamlike intensity but I don’t think I could have taken on a full length book. The stories vary in length and one in particular – The Bastard Notebook – gave me the chills. The stories are a little freakish but elegant at the same time. Please don’t judge me, I’m sticking with freakishly elegant.

What I found exquisite with When We Were Birds was the way Mutch played with words. She is without a doubt a word painter. Her artful description of something I’ve read described many times stopped my breath. And it didn’t happen just once while reading When We Were Birds, it happened over and over. Has that ever happened to you ? Reading something and then – it’s like the world stopped turning ? That’s what I experienced while reading this collection.

I understand that this won’t be for everyone, but if you are looking to expand your reading repertoire do check out this short story collection from Maria Mutch. Also, the cover it art is simply gorgeous !

An e-galley of this title was provided by the publisher in exchange for my thoughts and review.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* The first thing you notice when you start this book is the elegant writing. The second thing is the incredible far out imagination of the author. Several of these stories were simply spellbinding. I love this kind of thing. My only complaint is that some of the stories just went a little too far, even for me. They bordered on bizarre and I find that distracting to the whole reading experience. Still - a wonderfully written collection that I would recommend if you appreciate this kind of thing. I would love to read more of her work.

[Tammy MacKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met Maria a few years ago at the Iceland Writers Retreat. Not only is she a wonderful human, but her writing is equally so. "When We Were Birds," is an evocative collection of feminist fairytale stories that blurs the line between reality and perception, loss and longing, and sensuality and desire. Having read and loved her last book, a memoir, called "Know the Night," her writing navigates seamlessly across both genres, and is highly cerebral and poetic at once, while expertly constructing and deconstructing the short story form. The ethereal drawings, black & white photographs, and philosophical quotes scattered throughout only help to highlight the magical and sometimes brutal narratives that strangely ensue.

[Mike Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author's first book is among my favorites, but the switch from memoir to fiction isn't always smooth. This was. Based on her first book, I knew the writing would be upper level. Mutch has a gift for stitching poetic imagery into narrative - both here and in her memoir (Know the Night). You could, in fact, etch in the right Greek dialect any number of fragments from either book onto 3,000 year old clay shards and fool even the most devoted Sappho expert. Water is a particular favorite, and from one story here, about what a hurricane does to ordinary people wrapped in otherwise mundane marital malaise and petty infidelity, the narrator says 'I had been plagued recently by aqueous dreams, full of kelp forests and filtered light.' The stories, too, all of them, exist on - and in some cases richly past - the border of real and imagined. As all fish and wildlife biologists know, most species thrive where two habitats meet - field/forest, warm water/cool water, etc. - and the human mind is no different. Our most profound thoughts occur along similar junctions, and Mutch seems to live in them, whether writing about her own life or her wildly imagined fictional sphere.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads First-reads giveaway...thank you! Wow, this was the strangest, most unique collection of short stories. Some stories like, “The Peregrine at the end of the World,” and “Messages from the Snow” were oddly beautiful and fascinating, but “The Bastard Notebook” is just horribly disturbing. However, the writing is breathtaking, the reader is caught like a fly on the web of words, unable to look away. Maria Mutch is an amazingly gifted writer with a mind that works like one of those dreams that wake you up at 2:00 am...and it takes you a while to figure out where you are, before you can fall back to sleep. I enjoyed reading most of the stories and recommend it to readers who like to take a step into the unknown.

[Anne Derkat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book from Goodreads and it certainly is different. It consists of several short stories that I found strange, weird, funny, too awful to finish, annoying, and intruiging. The author is an obviously gifted writer with an incredible imagination. This would certainly appeal to someone who wants a read that will take one to a different level.

[Jocelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The opening story, Peregrine At The End of The World, is brilliant, I'd give it 4.5 stars, and I'm glad I picked up this short story collection just for this compelling tale. The other stories, although well written and clever, I didn't find so engaging. My subjective rating, 3.5. The final story, Messages From The Snow, is good too, quirky and surprising.

[Patti M Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maria Mutch is the kind of author that can transport, transform and shift perspective. Her imagination is limitless; captivating our senses and perforating our boundaries of the believable. She challenges the reader while holding space for disbelief. The fantastic and the practical merge with the sensational in a way that makes me want to live in the worlds that she makes manifest. Maria Mutch is a literary genius; her work will continue to offer sophisticated nuance to the literary fiction landscape for more years than she can imagine; and she. can. imagine.

We are not to find reading easy, those of us who walk the oil-water line between the here and the there. Maria Mutch is invested in those of us who inhabit that space between what we know is real and what we wish, more than anything, could be. When We Were Birds flies in the face of the mundane, begging us to step further into the interstice.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I am not a fan of short stories (like eating a bite of an appetizer and not being able to finish it) this book was suggested to me by a friend who knew that I needed a change from my usual. As far as unusual stories, this one definitely takes the cake. The common thread among these stories is the reference to birds (obviously). Other than that, they are all over the place. They read more like extended poems than stories and I thoroughly enjoyed the lyrical way they flowed but some stories were very odd and not at all satisfying.

Overall an Ok book. Won’t be reading any more by this author and I will stick to novels.

[Emily Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book through the Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review. This was a poetic, creative and diverse collection of short stories that reads easily. I finished the collection in two sittings and found myself captivated with each short story and eagerly anticipating the vast change of content hidden within the next. I especially liked the two fairy-tale based short stories (Sleeping Beauty and Red Riding Hood) - such a creative spin on each.

At times I found the writing a bit too lyrical, which for me took a bit away from the content of the stories themselves but may not present the same challenge for other readers.

[Roslin Sinclair · Rating 3 out of 5]

CW: I don't have this at the moment as I read this over about a month and did not keep track (that's on me)

2.5 stars rounded up

A review for this collection described it as "highly cerebral" and I would agree with that. I... did not get a lot of these stories. Some, I liked... I think. But the majority of them, I was confused by the time I finished the story and just kind of sat there thinking "What... was the point of that...?" So, turns out I'm a big dummy and "highly cerebral" literature is not for me!

[Polly Krize · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Although not being an enthusiastic reader of short stories (for a variety of reasons), I am impressed with this author's depth of writing skills. Dark and sometimes mind-bending, this collection is remarkable for the diverse stories included.

[Ian M. Pyatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read, but some of the stories were far out in left field, a bit disturbing, chilling, weird in my mind. I did have to re-read parts of some of them to get back into the flow of the story. Loved the Glenn Gould section. Maybe a complete re-read some and take more time to read each section will provide a better understanding of the thought process of each story?

[Dorothy Mahoney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quotes from Ovid and some from the taxidermy of birds, along with black and white photographs
make this book an interesting look-through. The first story about a peregrine that turns into a
woman held interest but the others flew out of reach.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a weird little short story collection that had beautiful writing and imagery. I didn't quite understand most of the stories, but I still enjoyed it and was captured by the imagination of the author.

[Lynne Reeves Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

When We Were Birds is a mesmerizing collection of short pieces that read like fairytales. Dystopian, and apocalyptic, the reader travels to places both foreign and familiar. Highly recommend this beautifully written collection about metamorphosis.

[Michelle Grierson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing was beautiful, the illustrations exquisite. I loved the connections between stories, and the strangeness of the characters (like the peregrines at the beginning). I don't usually read stories (preference is novels) but this was highly satisfying. LOVED IT!!!!

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written and odd. Not my usual type of book, but the writing is beautiful.

[Hanna Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept going between a 4 and a 5 so I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and go for the 5. I am the generous queen, ask Ms. Ellen

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this way too close to Land Mammals and Sea Creatures. And within the same month as Blue River and Red Earth. This collection, When We Were Birds, suffered from the same problems that I outlined in my reviews of those other two books, but combined which seemed to amplify my headache as I read it. I consider myself a pretty astute reader, but I got lost so much in this bundle of stories by Maria Mutch. The lack of cohesion bothered and frustrated me. While written "nicely" I suppose, the whole thing was too flighty for me to enjoy.

[Dominique]

Beautiful writing... intriguing ideas... vague story line. I had no trouble starting it, I enjoyed what I read of it, yet I had no qualms about putting it down... and again. An intellectually pleasing read but ultimately failing to generate an emotional response. Two months after last picking it up I don't think I will return to it.
*No stars as i don't think i've read enough of it to rate it*

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review in Progress

Things I learned from this book:

- Zaftig, having a full, rounded figure; plump - Lit. Juicy.
- Vespiary, a wasp nest.
- Deliquescent, becoming liquid, or having a tendency to become liquid.
- Contrapuntal, of or relating to counterpoint.
- Sastrugi, or zastrugi, are features formed by erosion of snow by wind.

[Glose ebook, gift from Simon & Schuster Canada]

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this collection of short stories Maria Mutch takes familiar fairy tales, and some less familiar ones, and twists them into surreal, almost unrecognizable visions. I didn't always understand the meaning of the stories but they were certainly beautifully written and haunting.