Other Birds

Sarah Addison Allen's first book in seven years arrives at a time when we have all been changed by catastrophic events including a global pandemic and (depending on who you ask) the partial or complete collapse of American democracy. On a more personal note, Allen experienced the death of both her sister and her mother in the course of writing this book. So I was wondering how the author's typical mix of Southern gothic and magical realism would land, and if the losses she endured changed her voice.

Zoey arrives at the Dellawisp Condos on Mallow Island, South Carolina, to take ownership of the unit previously owned by her late mother. She is starting college in nearby Charleston soon, but is glad to escape the cold treatment by her father, stepfather and stepsisters a few months earlier than planned. She is greeted by the elderly property manager Frasier, who fills her in on the other condo residents: paranoid, furtive Lizbeth Lime; her reclusive sister Lucy; young artist Charlotte; and genial chef Mac. But during Zoey's first night on Mallow Island, Lizbeth is killed in a horrible accident.

With nothing to do until school starts, Zoey agrees to clean out Lizbeth's apartment, which is full of boxes and boxes of seemingly useless flyer, receipts and other paper. As Zoey struggles to figure out the reasons for Lizbeth's hostility towards the world, she also strikes up a tentative friendship with Charlotte, who has issues of her own, and Mac, who carries the past with him in a very physical way. Everyone at the Dellawisp has secrets, one of which is about to be revealed in a way that puts all of the residents in danger.

The book's chapters are written from several different POVs, including Zoey, Charlotte, Mac, Frasier, and an assortment of ghosts who are lingering around, waiting for something to happen before they can move along. Zoey doesn't see or feel the ghosts, but she has an invisible pigeon who has been with her for many years. These paranormal touches are generally accepted by the characters, but they don't overwhelm the plot.

Zoey's arrival is the catalyst for change, as friendships start to build and a romance or two emerges. The tone is a little darker than Allen's previous books, but not at all bleak or depressing. She still knows how to tell a page-turning story that celebrates found family and explores the challenging dynamics of maternal and sisterly bonds. I may be more cynical than I was the last time I read one of her books, but I am still charmed and moved by the troubled, lonely characters who are looking for connection even as they are afraid of what will happen if they let down their guard.

ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for honest review.