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Bird Bones
Michelle Jager
Glimmer Press
10/28/2022
316
Binding Paperback
0.68lbs
7.81h x 5.06w x 0.71d
9780648463535
This title is not returnable
Glimmer Press
10/28/2022
316
Binding Paperback
0.68lbs
7.81h x 5.06w x 0.71d
9780648463535
This title is not returnable
316 pages, Paperback
Published October 28, 2022
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 18, 2023
I've always enjoyed Michelle Jager's short stories and so couldn't wait for this novel.
I couldn't put it down! It's brilliantly written, with really interesting (and somewhat disturbing) characters. Her descriptions of places and the Australian summer are so real.
But the best part of it was the layering of emotions and meaning behind people's words and actions. It keep me guessing about what they'll do next.
I couldn't put it down! It's brilliantly written, with really interesting (and somewhat disturbing) characters. Her descriptions of places and the Australian summer are so real.
But the best part of it was the layering of emotions and meaning behind people's words and actions. It keep me guessing about what they'll do next.
December 21, 2022
Such a striking novel! It's an intriguing story that unravels in small shocks. I found it moving and profound in some parts, sharply funny and ironic in others. The Australian heat, hot summers, play such a key role in setting the scene for high pitched and debilitating delirium. I found all the characters to be believable and even familiar in some ways, even the bad ones. Maybe especially the bad ones. An original story by a clever and sophisticated author.
January 18, 2023
Bird Bones is an outstanding debut novel written with dark, haunting, and evocative prose. The novel is structured in a contemporary, vignette style, with a sequence of flashbacks interweaved into the present-day narrative.
The protagonist, Vera, is charming in her unpredictability and her rebellious nature. Her complexity and uniqueness reminds me of other intriguing contemporary characters created by authors such as Ottessa Moshfegh, Elizabeth Strout, and Olga Tokarczuk. Vera is an unreliable narrator, occasionally savage, especially during her childhood flashbacks. Her relationship with her partner, Oswald, provides a sometimes disturbing, often comic thread throughout the novel, with Vera’s unspoken thoughts about her partner being at times laugh out loud funny.
The setting of an Australian coastal town is beautifully described with sophisticated prose, rich with imagery and feeling. The reader experiences vividly the oppressive heat of a South Australian summer, the violent tempers, the merciless insects, and the longed-for summer breeze that never arrives. The climax of the novel is both surprising and rewarding, and I was so compelled by the dark humour and the rich imagery of the writing style that I finished the novel within a day. Vera is a character who I will never forget, simultaneously heroine, and villain.
The protagonist, Vera, is charming in her unpredictability and her rebellious nature. Her complexity and uniqueness reminds me of other intriguing contemporary characters created by authors such as Ottessa Moshfegh, Elizabeth Strout, and Olga Tokarczuk. Vera is an unreliable narrator, occasionally savage, especially during her childhood flashbacks. Her relationship with her partner, Oswald, provides a sometimes disturbing, often comic thread throughout the novel, with Vera’s unspoken thoughts about her partner being at times laugh out loud funny.
The setting of an Australian coastal town is beautifully described with sophisticated prose, rich with imagery and feeling. The reader experiences vividly the oppressive heat of a South Australian summer, the violent tempers, the merciless insects, and the longed-for summer breeze that never arrives. The climax of the novel is both surprising and rewarding, and I was so compelled by the dark humour and the rich imagery of the writing style that I finished the novel within a day. Vera is a character who I will never forget, simultaneously heroine, and villain.
November 16, 2022
Poetic and haunting storytelling which will leave you wanting to read it over and over again.
An absolutely incredible book and a must read.
Michelle Jäger is an astonishing new talent.
An absolutely incredible book and a must read.
Michelle Jäger is an astonishing new talent.
October 3, 2024
The kind of weird-girl literature that makes your eyes widen. Loved it.
June 24, 2023
What an amazing book. Quite dark & bleak with themes of domestic abuse, addiction (alcohol & drugs), suicide. Very emotional. But leavened with the love between Vera & Gary - and Vera's beautifully developed personality. Hard to put down - gripping unpredictable story & fast paced. Stunning. How is this book not better known?
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews