Book Details
Title: The Boy with a Bird in His Chest
Author: Emme Lund
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: February 15, 2022
Genre(s): Adult, LGBT, Magical Realism, Fantasy
Pages: 308
Bookshop Purchase Link: https://bookshop.org/a/67041/9781982171933
Title: The Boy with a Bird in His Chest
Author: Emme Lund
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: February 15, 2022
Genre(s): Adult, LGBT, Magical Realism, Fantasy
Pages: 308
Bookshop Purchase Link: https://bookshop.org/a/67041/9781982171933
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Reading Details
Finish Date: December 18, 2021
Format: Physical
Representation: Gay
Trigger/Content Warnings: Homophobia, Bullying, Sexual Content
Finish Date: December 18, 2021
Format: Physical
Representation: Gay
Trigger/Content Warnings: Homophobia, Bullying, Sexual Content
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Rating: 5/5
Favorite Quote/Scene:
a
Review:
I was very lucky to receive an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review. Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this.
I wasn't quite sure what to make of this book at first. Not in a bad way, more of a general.what? way. The book's premise is strange, so my reaction isn't exactly unfounded. However, I was enthralled by the story. I do recommend checking the Trigger and Content Warnings for this book to ensure that you know what you're getting into.
I feel the best place to start this review is with the characters. Owen is our main character but there are also several side characters including his mother, his uncle, his cousin, his neighbors, and various classmates. There's also Gail, the bird that lives in Owen's chest. I understand that that seems like a lot of people, but I mention them because each of these people have an effect on Owen and his development. One of the things that I personally really enjoyed is that all of these characters felt nuanced with a couple of exceptions (the neighbor's dad for one). Each character had motivations and depths, strengths and weaknesses that allowed them to feel fleshed out even when they weren't our main character.
Owen and Gail were great main characters. I loved their dynamic. They were close, but not without problems. It was amazing and I found it thoroughly enjoyable. Lund did a great job at writing their emotions and how they played off each other. They were clearly affected by each other, in a way that only a Terror could be. It was happy sometimes, but heartbreaking at others. These two characters drove the story in such a way that I constantly wanted more of them and their life.
The writing in this story was a bit odd at first. It took a bit to get used to it and if I took a couple days off reading it, it took me a bit to get back to it. I did quite enjoy it though. It often felt like the train of thought of a teenage boy and what he was going through growing up the way he did. Only a few areas felt off and I was fine ignoring those sections.
The plot of this story was so interesting that I really didn't want to stop reading the book. At times the Army of Acronym fear felt a bit overwhelming, but it never felt forced. Other than that, the plot kept moving at a steady enough pace that I was constantly wanting to see where it was going to go.
I will admit that there were a couple times that I was a bit uncomfortable reading this book. This solely comes down to the fact that the author discusses Owen and some sexual situations and, as an adult, reading about a teenager figuring these things out just feels odd to me. It's definitely a personal thing, just fair warning to anyone else who thinks the same way as I do.
As a final note, I absolutely loved the connection between Owen and his cousin Tennessee. I knew that I wanted to include this in my review because it was a lot of fun. The two didn't always get on (no one does) but Tennessee was so sweet with this sheltered boy that moved in with her and her father. She took him under her wing, introduced him to her friends, and helped him figure out what made him comfortable. I thought it was just a really pure relationship between the two and I'd have read a lot more pages of them interacting.
All in all, I loved this book more than I had originally expected to. There might have been a couple of situations that I didn't enjoy, but they were easy enough for me to get past. I thought the story was well-paced, I really enjoyed the characters, and I absolutely loved the interactions between Owen and the people around him (minus the negative ones). I would like to reiterate that you should check the Content/Trigger Warnings before reading this book because there are some things that might trigger people.
Favorite Quote/Scene:
a
Review:
I was very lucky to receive an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review. Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this.
I wasn't quite sure what to make of this book at first. Not in a bad way, more of a general.what? way. The book's premise is strange, so my reaction isn't exactly unfounded. However, I was enthralled by the story. I do recommend checking the Trigger and Content Warnings for this book to ensure that you know what you're getting into.
I feel the best place to start this review is with the characters. Owen is our main character but there are also several side characters including his mother, his uncle, his cousin, his neighbors, and various classmates. There's also Gail, the bird that lives in Owen's chest. I understand that that seems like a lot of people, but I mention them because each of these people have an effect on Owen and his development. One of the things that I personally really enjoyed is that all of these characters felt nuanced with a couple of exceptions (the neighbor's dad for one). Each character had motivations and depths, strengths and weaknesses that allowed them to feel fleshed out even when they weren't our main character.
Owen and Gail were great main characters. I loved their dynamic. They were close, but not without problems. It was amazing and I found it thoroughly enjoyable. Lund did a great job at writing their emotions and how they played off each other. They were clearly affected by each other, in a way that only a Terror could be. It was happy sometimes, but heartbreaking at others. These two characters drove the story in such a way that I constantly wanted more of them and their life.
The writing in this story was a bit odd at first. It took a bit to get used to it and if I took a couple days off reading it, it took me a bit to get back to it. I did quite enjoy it though. It often felt like the train of thought of a teenage boy and what he was going through growing up the way he did. Only a few areas felt off and I was fine ignoring those sections.
The plot of this story was so interesting that I really didn't want to stop reading the book. At times the Army of Acronym fear felt a bit overwhelming, but it never felt forced. Other than that, the plot kept moving at a steady enough pace that I was constantly wanting to see where it was going to go.
I will admit that there were a couple times that I was a bit uncomfortable reading this book. This solely comes down to the fact that the author discusses Owen and some sexual situations and, as an adult, reading about a teenager figuring these things out just feels odd to me. It's definitely a personal thing, just fair warning to anyone else who thinks the same way as I do.
As a final note, I absolutely loved the connection between Owen and his cousin Tennessee. I knew that I wanted to include this in my review because it was a lot of fun. The two didn't always get on (no one does) but Tennessee was so sweet with this sheltered boy that moved in with her and her father. She took him under her wing, introduced him to her friends, and helped him figure out what made him comfortable. I thought it was just a really pure relationship between the two and I'd have read a lot more pages of them interacting.
All in all, I loved this book more than I had originally expected to. There might have been a couple of situations that I didn't enjoy, but they were easy enough for me to get past. I thought the story was well-paced, I really enjoyed the characters, and I absolutely loved the interactions between Owen and the people around him (minus the negative ones). I would like to reiterate that you should check the Content/Trigger Warnings before reading this book because there are some things that might trigger people.
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