Review: Bird

Bird by Crystal Chan
Published by Text Publishing Australia
Format Reviewed: Paperback
Publication Date: January 29th 2014
Genre: YA Contemporary
Pages: 256
Reviewed by: Eugenia
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
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Nothing matters. Only Bird matters. And he flew away.

 Jewel never knew her brother Bird, but all her life she has lived in his shadow. Her parents blame Grandpa for the tragedy of their family’s past; they say that Grandpa attracted a malevolent spirit—a duppy—into their home. Grandpa hasn’t spoken a word since. Now Jewel is twelve, and she lives in a house full of secrets.

 Jewel is sure that no one will ever love her like they loved Bird, until the night that she meets a mysterious boy in a tree. Grandpa is convinced that the boy is a duppy, but Jewel knows that he is something more. And that maybe the time has come to break through the stagnant silence of the past. Entrenched secrets, mysterious spirits, and an astonishing friendship weave together in this extraordinary and haunting debut.

Thank you to Text Publishing Australia for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Nothing matters, I realized. Only Bird Matters. And he flew away.

I found Bird to be a beautifully written novel of grief, friendship and the idea that although things might not always be what they seem, things can still work out in the end. Crystal Chan has used some evocative imagery throughout the book to set a lovely scene for how one girl grows through her new experiences.

As Bird's life ended, Jewel's was only just beginning. On that one fateful day her brother John believed he could fly, and jumped off the cliff as a result. Jewel's grandpa stopped speaking after that. Her father takes after grandpa in his belief in spirits and that is was 'duppies' which made Bird (John) do what he did. As Jewel's family is still trying to piece things together and patch the hole that Bird left in his wake, tensions rise and the cracks begin to show. Through meeting a new friend and realising what else is out there with the importance of the cliff, Jewel develops as a character and grows as a person.

What the author did superbly well with this book was write it with such pictorial language. Everywhere, scattered throughout the story were some lovely similes and metaphors which immediately added to the depth of the novel and its potential. A book that is simply entertaining is one thing, but to be written in such a beautiful style is another talent altogether. The vivid descriptions of the cliff and how it felt for Jewel to be there were executed perfectly and really set the scene for the reader in their minds.

Also, the characters in the book were all distinguishable and unique with their own special features. Jewel was a great character in particular, and the author captured her age on the cusp of adolescence really well. The rest of her family were also invested in, and each had both their perks and downfalls. The drama that ensued in certain parts of the novel gave it a sense of reality and fit in well with what was going on in the story. Jewel's relationships with her parents and new friend John were more complex than they first appeared. Everything that Crystal Chan envisioned in the characters came through clearly, with enough subtlety to match the writing style.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, Bird is a novel that I would highly recommend for contemporary fans. Both older middle-grade readers and those who like the young-adult genre are sure to appreciate this book for its beautiful prose and a storyline with a journey of self discovery.