Grief is the Thing with Feathers

Max Porter

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exploration of grief

poetic prose

novella about loss

family coping with death

symbolism of a crow

quick and rhythmic pacing

themes of love and humor in grief

london familial setting

experimental writing style

emotional journey of healing

perspectives on mourning

raw emotion in literature

Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter is a poetic and inventive novella that explores the themes of death, loss, and grief through the perspectives of a father, his two young sons, and a crow. The book switches between voices, offering a unique blend of poetry, near poetry, and irregular fiction to portray the journey of a family coping with the sudden loss of their wife and mother. Through the presence of Crow, who acts as both a tormentor and a healer, the family navigates the complexities of grief, finding moments of raw emotion, dark humor, and profound love.

Characters:

The characters include a grieving father, his two sons, and a crow that represents their grief, each exhibiting different responses to loss.

Writing/Prose:

The prose is poetic and experimental, often resembling free verse with lyrical and vivid imagery.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot explores a family's journey through grief after the sudden death of the mother, focusing on their interactions with a crow that symbolizes their mourning.

Setting:

The setting takes place in a familial home in London, highlighting the personal impact of grief.

Pacing:

The pacing is quick and rhythmic, matching the emotional intensity of the themes presented.

Four or five days after she died, I sat alone in the living room wondering what to do. Shuffling around, waiting for shock to give way, waiting for any kind of structured feeling to emerge from the or...

Notes:

The book explores grief through the eyes of a father and his two sons after the sudden death of their wife and mother.

A crow is introduced as a character, serving as a manifestation of grief, a guide, and a source of dark humor.

The narrative is unconventional, blending prose with poetic elements and multiple perspectives.

Max Porter, the author, draws inspiration from Ted Hughes' poetry, particularly the character Crow.

The book is described as part novella, part fable, and part essay on grief, marked by its experimental structure.

It has been compared to other literary works on grief, including Joan Didion's 'The Year of Magical Thinking'.

The writing style is noted for its lyrical and rhythmic quality, resembling poetry more than traditional prose.

The father grapples with the idea that moving on from grief is a long-term process, contrary to common belief.

The book has been described as both heartbreaking and darkly humorous, capturing the chaos of grief.

Readers have noted the book's ability to evoke deep emotions and reflections on loss, resonating with personal experiences of grief.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include themes of sudden death, grief, loss, mental health struggles, and emotional distress.

From The Publisher:

A SUNDAY TIMES TOP 100 NOVEL OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

Winner of the 2016 International Dylan Thomas Prize and the Sunday Times/Peter, Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer of the Year award and shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and the Goldsmiths Prize.

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.

This extraordinary debut, full of unexpected humour and emotional truth, marks the arrival of a thrilling and significant new talent.

Ratings (8)

Incredible (1)
Loved It (3)
Liked It (1)
It Was OK (1)
Did Not Like (2)

Reader Stats (13):

Read It (8)
Want To Read (4)
Not Interested (1)

1 comment(s)

ColorfulLeo92

Loved It

2 weeks

This was a weird book for me to read, not sure what I want to rate this even. At some parts it's a 3 stars but in others it's a 5 stars. The writing isn't the strangest I've come across but it was very odd in its own way. Not quite sure I completely understood the book, but I liked that greif is in bodied in a crow and the odd almost harsh dialogue made it feel a bit messy. Which is pmhow greif is in some parts, in my opinion. I didn't fully connect or love the story but it left an uncomfortable feeling that grief often leave me and I think I will carry this book with me for a long time. This review is such a mess. But I got a very difficult time to put onto words how I feel about this book. Not an easy book to either read nor review!

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About the Author:

Max Porter's first novel, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers won the Sunday Times/Peter, Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer of the Year, the International Dylan Thomas Prize, the Europese Literatuurprijs and the BAMB Readers' Award and was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and the Goldsmiths Prize. It has been sold in twenty-nine territories. Complicité and Wayward's production of Grief Is the Thing with Feathers directed by Enda Walsh and starring Cillian Murphy opened in Dublin in March 2018. Max lives in Bath with his family.

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