The Go-Away Bird

by Warren FitzGerald

A powerful, heart-wrenching story of friendship and love ‘This is a story about me, Clementine, and my a panther called Levi, a pelican called Lola and a turtle called Jimmy. It is about dragons and goblins, my Daddy the King, my Mummy the Queen and Prince Pio my brother. At least that is the way I tell it sometimes when thoughts of the blood, the machetes, the swamp and the fear of Uncle Leonard become too hard to describe. But that was all before I met Ashley, wonderful Ashley. Not that he would ever call himself wonderful in a million years. When he tells you his story you will see what I mean…’ Ashley Bolt – A middle-aged, loner for whom teaching singing is the only escape from his London life. In an attempt to forget a violent past he turns to self-harming but this provides little comfort. Clementine Habimana – A Rwandan child refugee who witnesses the 1994 genocide at first-hand and lives to tell her story. Delivered into the hands of an abusive uncle in the UK, Clementine remains undeterred in her hope for a brighter future. When their two worlds collide, nothing is ever the same again…

Genres: Fiction, Africa, Music

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 2010

About the author

Warren was born in 1973. He lives in London. His first novel 'The Go-Away Bird' won an Amazon Rising Stars Award, was longlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award and was Waterstones' Book of the Month in October 2011.
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Reviews

[DubaiReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nearly 5 stars.

After an 'iffy' start I really got into this book and couldn't put it down. I even got to like the character of Ashley who was far from endearing in the early chapters. Clementine was adorable from the first of course! What dropped the star for me was the constant reference to music of a certain era, which didn't interest me at all.
Having done some research about the author I realise he is a professional musician - you can listen to his music on UTube. The short UTube description on Amazon also provided some interesting background including the comparative references to cutting - self harming versus being chased by men with machettes.

Ashley is a loser, holed up in a crumby block of flats in a cheap area of London, he makes a living giving singing tuition. Clementine is a happy 10 year old in Rwanda with her parents (one Hutu, one Tutsi) and her brother Pio.
Ashley learns of the genocide through newspaper reports and TV, taking only a cursory interest, Clementine experiences it first hand.
We are nearly 2/3 through the book before their paths cross.
How, and with what outcome I shall leave to the reader.
Suffice to say this is an excellent read and quite an eye opener.

Wonderful to hear the author state in his video that 15 years later the Hutus and the Tutsis are living peacably together again as Rawandans. I'd love him to write more fiction that might perhaps fill in that gap in time.

[Laura Rodicio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brb gonna go sob some more. Very difficult subjects are covered but such rewarding moments of humanity and love from unexpected characters. I also love when the POVs alternate every chapter. Makes for a great buildup and getting the characters to grow on you

[Maryanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beauty amongst all the ugliness. Starts ugly... Stick with it.

[Samantha Lines Karanth · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely hard hitting, gritty novel about genocide and detailed self-harm, none of which was mentioned in the blurb and possibly needs to be rectified. It doesn’t sound it, but it was quite a humorous book too, with the main character Ashley having a rather sarcastic/funny streak in him. I don’t know if the author has been to Rwanda but it certainly felt like it in the writing; you felt like you were there. Clementine, the other main character, is well drawn and very believable and I warmed to her instantly. This book is not what I thought I was getting but I am so glad I picked it up!

[Book Z Tobą · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Rachel Minshull · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. Horrific at times but funny at others. Well written with wonderful characterisation: so good you felt the characters were real. Ultimately hopeful throughout the sadness. A must read.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this and it broke my heart.

[Mikey Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The blurb describes the book as "funny, poignant and hopeful" - it is anything but, but worth a read anyway!
The story line is grotesquely engrossing, I had to read it cover to cover desperate to find the light and hope in the story. You can't help but feel emotionally attached to both of the two main characters.
Gritty, engaging and challenging read

[Acatraps · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells two stories of unlikely friends whose paths later cross. It bounces between a young girl who survived the Rwanda genocide and that of a disillusioned young man who is a self-harmer. Initially I really struggled, finding the book disjointed, with little interest for the chapters about the self-harmer, yet found the chapters about the young girl deeply touching and cleverly written. In addition, I found a majority of the characters in chapters about the man unconvincing and caricatured. I found better harmony with the book when the characters' lives crossed. By describing some of the crimes of genocide through the guise of a fairytale really struck me and stayed with me for hours after putting down the book. I also felt how Tutsis and Hutus (and Twas) were described was accurate based on the stereotypes and colonial legacy that pitted ethnic groups against one another. I never expected, nor would have wanted a disney ending, but was disappointed with how the book was concluded as it felt unrealistic and dramatic just for the sake of it.

[Sian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I did, but unfortunately despite great characters and a good story, it's just badly written. The first person narrative moves between the past and present tense, sometimes in the same sentence, which is really off putting. And the decision to try and write large parts of the dialogue in a London vernacular was a bad one, as it just makes it harder to read.

Clem and Ashley are well drawn though, and Clem's chapters are much better than the London ones; the descriptions of Rwanda are good and the story of what happens to Clem's family is heart breaking. There were some great ideas here, about recovering from childhood trauma and making your own family, but they were buried under the poor writing and ultimately a bit of a rubbish ending - I'm pretty sure social services would have got involved at some point!

This will probably go back to the charity shop from whence it came.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clementine is a Rwandan refugee who saw her country and family destroyed by genocide. Ashley is a musician who deliberately cuts himself. The book tells their stories, separately and later together.
The author tackles some very difficult themes, happy and abusive childhoods, mass and individual violence, cutting (the perpetrators of the genocide use machetes) and, along with these, descriptions of Rwandan and inner city landscapes and social interactions, and the redemptive power of music. He does this very well on the whole and this is an ambitious, powerful first novel.
It is not perfect. There are a few distracting stylistic quirks and Ashley is probably too much of a low-life to be trusted with the care of a child, so it would have been better to make Clementine older (although I would hate to lose her wonderful childish optimism and innocence, which overcome her terrible experiences). These are minor flaws in an overall good book and I strongly recommend it.

[Kay Jessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some stories are hard to tell. A good story about difficult subject matter -- like the Rwandan genocide, for instance -- must walk a fine line between making the audience feel something and making the audience feel so much that they shut down.

Second, the author has a responsibility to tell a difficult story without relying on tired tactics to elicit emotions from their reader, creating caricature of suffering to the detriment of the people and their lived experiences that the story (even if it's fictional) is referencing.

Warren FitzGerald skillfully creates a nuanced, emotionally moving story of human suffering and resilience. He communicates the brutality of genocide without losing the reader to the darkness within it. A beautiful read.

[LaDawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm writing this with the tears still dripping out of my eyes. Probably this best book I've read this year. I can't imagine what took me so long to read this book and can't believe so few have read it. My heart will carry this story around for a long time. And if you haven't read, you really must do so. Now.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this.
Essentially an "odd couple" story of a self-mutilating drug dealing Englishman and a 10 year old Rwandan refugee.

[Beth (bibliobeth)]

Oh so good! And so sad! Love the story telling from both ashleys and clem's point of view, a tale that really makes you think and stays with you afterwards.

[Chrissi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book, very descriptive with two characters telling their story. Their stories entwine with one another. Good characters you warm too. Highly recommended.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

heart warming story of a music teacher when he befriends clem the rwandian girl who had see the killings of people in the genocides of the early 1990's , well worth reading

[Peter Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great tale of how friendship can heal, with a twist at the end.

[Jenna Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brilliant. It's horrifically honest, while being just gentle enough with the subject matter that it's not too difficult to read. Absolutely heartbreaking.

[Uetuzemburukisa Uatjiua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captivating, yet heart wrenching. I traveled with Clementine.
Beautifully portrayed.

[Lawrence · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mr Fitzgerald is not a writer by profession and it shows.