The Vanished Birds

The Vanished Birds

2020 • 391 pages

Ratings33

Average rating4

15

This book has two great, intriguing and plot-driven first two chapters. And then it fizzles out into multi-perspective, multiple timelines, too detailed and yet fuzzy studies of characters, whose emotional connections to others is what is driving most of the plot. And yet, the book didn't make me like those characters, nor convinced me their motivations are what should be the focus here. Mainly I was just longing for the straightforward narrative structure of the book's beginning to return.

So much is kept vague (seriously, a drop of blood does it? and who's the ‘kind one'?) for poetic mystery purpose I suppose, but it just annoyed me. Or was I so bored that I missed crucial details?!

The writing is good. This is once again one of those review where I am mad at a book, because it started out good, and then let me down :/

June 3, 2023