Bird Life – Anna Smaill

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Chosen by Suzy

Set in Japan with memories of New Zealand, Bird Life is about Dinah, a young Kiwi woman who moves to Tokyo to escape grief only to gravitate towards a colleague who is also in the grip of loss. Both tell their stories of the past and the current, experiencing a spiral into madness as they try to rescue themselves and one another.

“When you are a child, you should have a chance to be a child. That is what I think. There are some kinds of love that are very hungry. It is probably very selfish of me, but I wanted a chance to live without getting eaten up”.

● Previously if someone was to say to me “could you please articulate the madness of grief” I would draw a blank, whereas now I can reply “read Bird Life by Anna Smaill”. The horrible depths of sadness are explored by the author in a somehow very beautiful way which left me feeling wrung out, but also acknowledged. This is a special book that continues to resonate with me. – Suzy

● I felt like I was walking in a fog with this story. It was hard to decipher what was really going on, which I usually find intriguing but this time found annoying. There were so many great passages, it was beautifully written and I can appreciate that talent but I felt frustrated and bored at the same time. I couldn’t wait to finish it. I didn’t emotionally connect with the characters and their pain was lost on me. I would not recommend this. – Jo

● My first thoughts a few pages into this book was how it reads like a work translated from Japanese. It is Murakami-esque with its poetic simplicity, its use of magical realism, and its outlets for other worldliness. But it is unique in its beautiful language and astute observations. Smaill made me stop often to admire the construction of sentences or the presentation of information. I enjoy books that explore different versions of reality and ask the reader to pick where the truth lies, so this did not fail to challenge or impress me. – Rachel

● I found Bird Life a beautifully written novel. At times it is quite poetic and other times blunt and clipped. The two main characters are struggling with grief, a grief so intense it has created mental instability. I did find the novel a little hard to follow at times, devising what was or wasn’t reality, but it was a intriguing read and I would recommend it. – Jodie

Published 2023
Scribe
304 pages