Boy, Snow, Bird: A Novel

I would really like you to read this book. For me it has been a stunning presentation of ideas I had half formed and had been unable to place into words. The author weaves levels of perception and self judgment into a web that I find stunning in its complexity and achievement. "When something catches your attention just keep your attention on it, stick with it 'til the end, and somewhere along the line there'll be weirdness." The strand of "weirdness" is drawn tautly through the book, and I find it completely enmeshing. This is a generational story which I think is loosely drawn from Snow White in order to allow the reader a framework to construct an understanding of the magic of everyday. I have been interested to read the reviews of other readers, some of whom were not captured by the book. For me, this makes the book all the more fascinating. As has been noted, giving a plot summary snares the reviewer in multiple traps of possible spoilers. Suffice it to say that Boy starts the narrative but is far from the beginning of the story. She has left a cruel abusive parent, the ratcatcher, and has had to come to terms with determining her own view of herself. Through her story, the tangles of generational identity is examined in the lives of her in laws, her step daughter, and her daughter. I love to read and tend to enthuse too often, but I feel this book is truly gifted. The metaphor of the mirror is used in a prism of meanings that capture the issue of identity in many literate and insightful passages. So I say to you, please read it.

Strong writing. I plan to reread this book. A couple of the characters were challenging to remember as they were spread over time. But that was just the writer's style. It was interesting that my assumptions about Boy's feelings and interaction with Snow was inaccurate. I misread the cues. Maybe that is what the writer intended. This is mostly a story about what happens when a child lives with abuse and rejection, how she makes adult choices and how those choices effect others. We're all familiar with examples the way abuse breeds abuse. But some survivors manage to subdue their anger and resentment just below the surface and leave those around them wondering what's at the root of that person's behavior. All of this goes on with a backdrop of issues around racial ambiguity. The main story could have progressed in much the same way even without the black family "passing" as white angle. And It felt as if nobody cared except the family members when the bloodlines where exposed for the town to see. All in all, the story was enjoyable. I would recommend it.

I expected so much more from this book. The story is set up wonderfully and you wonder what kind of mystical events will be unveiled and what mysteries will be revealed. The three words in the title are the names of three characters in the book. The beginning of the story is told from Boy's perspective. Boy gets on a bus, abandoning her abusive father, and moves to a small town called Flax Hill. The characters in Flax Hill slowly become introduced to us. Bird ends up marrying a jewelry-maker who has a young daughter from his previous marriage names Snow. After a few years, another daughter comes along whom Boy names Bird. The second part of the story is told from Bird's perspective. Bird tells us her mother sends away her half sister for reasons not revealed to us at first. What started as a mystical/fairytale-like story turns into a story about race, which would have been okay if the story made more sense. There were so many details that were mentioned that came to be of no use! For example, both Boy and Bird see funny things when they look at their reflection in the mirror but we don't get anymore with this! This novel is frustrating because the author puts an even crazier twist at the end that makes you put the book down and say, "What." and it leaves you confused and wondering what the main purpose of the novel was. I didn't NOT like the book but I also probably wouldn't recommend it to any of my friends.

“I waited seven heartbeats.” With superb pacing and simple elegant prose Oyeyemi gives us a very natural unaffected look at difficult topics in, "Boy, Snow, Bird." The crux of the novel I think can be found in this sentence; “Very few people can watch others endure humiliation without recognizing the part they play in increasing it.” This was nearly flawless writing. It showed the psychological development of Boy. It gave the vivid dynamics of mixed race families. It had wonderful dialogue. The plot had an amazing twist.

Oyeyemi is always original from subject to rendition to characters. I'm always outside of myself reading her, ever aware of her manouevers - not forced or false, usually strange and intriguing.

Well I cannot comment on the storytelling itself because it is a subjective view but I did enjoy the story. The book itself gets no complaints from me, it is slim, the pages are sturdy and no ink smudges, the print is clear.

A magnificent novel in my opnion. Slightly uncentered characters with a heavy past but with a positive view about the future. I certainly recommend it to those of you who like original, interesting different novels.

I loved this book. I found the writing and the three main characters totally authentic and the narrative- in spite of the strange names absolutely believable. The setting and the time reflected the dilemma and the attitudes of the characters vividly making one think about family and race and being overprotective or otherwise. What made me give this novel 4 stars as opposed to 5 was the rhythm of the novel. The slow pace and the build up in the first two thirds were mesmerising. The final third was rushed. Highly recommended.