Grief Is the Thing with Feathers

Name: Grief Is the Thing with Feathers
ISBN: 9780571323760

Max Porter

2015·128 pages

Fantasy Literary Fiction

dreamy magical realism

“I'm not sure I've read anything like Max Porter's book before. It stunned me, full of beauty, hilarity, and thick black darkness. It will stay with me for a very long time.”
— Evie Wyld

“Dazzlingly good . . . Anyone who has ever loved someone, or lost someone, or both, will be gripped by it. It's very sad and very funny.”
— Robert Macfarlane

“In this slyly funny and thrillingly original work, Max Porter somehow pulls a brand new story out of the darkest despair.”
— Jenny Offill

In a London flat, two young boys face the unbearable sadness of their mother's sudden death. Their father, a Ted Hughes scholar and scruffy romantic, imagines a future of well-meaning visitors and emptiness. In this moment of despair they are visited by Crow - antagonist, trickster, healer, babysitter. This sentimental bird is drawn to the grieving family and threatens to stay until they no longer need him. As weeks turn to months and the pain of loss gives way to memories, the little unit of three starts to heal. In this extraordinary debut - part novella, part polyphonic fable, part essay on grief - Max Porter's compassion and bravura style combine to dazzling effect. Full of unexpected humour and profound emotional truth, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers marks the arrival of a thrilling new talent.

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Grief Is the Thing with Feathers

Max Porter

Year

2015

Pages

128

Fantasy Literary Fiction

Praise

“I'm not sure I've read anything like Max Porter's book before. It stunned me, full of beauty, hilarity, and thick black darkness. It will stay with me for a very long time.”
— Evie Wyld

“Dazzlingly good . . . Anyone who has ever loved someone, or lost someone, or both, will be gripped by it. It's very sad and very funny.”
— Robert Macfarlane