‘The Wild Birds’ is the debut novel by American author, Emily Strelow. The book comprises three diverse stories, delivered in interspersed chapters, spanning over a century and loosely bound together by the acquisition of a silver box of eggshells. Each story is written in the third person from the perspectives of several of the main characters.

The author has taken great care to set her scenes. She has a real affinity with flora, fauna and the environment; such that I almost felt like I should be listening to Ralph Vaughan Williams in the background as I read about the Northern Harrier hanging in the air over a thin patchwork of forest.

Through imagery and symbolism, I was taken on a colourful journey from the small town of Burning Woods in the northwest coastal state of Oregon down through the Farallon Islands, to the arid Mojave Desert in California and on to the Sonoran Desert, spanning parts of California, Arizona and Mexico.

I very much liked the story of Olive, set in the 1870s. The descriptive passages were very vivid and the idea of a sixteen year old girl passing herself off as a boy really grabbed my imagination. The pathos of Olive’s story is fascinating and I would have been happy if the whole book had been devoted to exploring her life in more depth.

The contemporary family dynamic between Alice and Lily can be understood when the reader is taken into Alice’s confidence regarding Lily’s natural father. Undoubtedly much of Alice’s adult life and the choices she makes have been shaped by events from her past. The relationship between mother and daughter is tense at times with unpalatable truths bubbling just beneath the surface.

The author’s message is clearly one of survival – protecting nature and protecting loved ones. She also explores complex human emotions and interactions as each of her multi-layered stories develop.

The three tales are well researched and thoughtfully written with the hardback being beautifully packaged. The title is very poignant and there are aspects of the book that I enjoyed. The division between dialogue and description could have been better balanced and I also wonder if the connection between the three stories is rather tenuous. Nonetheless, if you appreciate a gentle read, you will undoubtedly enjoy it. Objectively, I award ‘The Wild Birds’ four stars.

About the Author

Emily Strelow was born and raised in Oregon’s Willamette Valley but has lived all over the West and now, the Midwest. For the last decade she combined teaching writing with doing seasonal avian field biology with her husband.

While doing field jobs she camped and wrote in remote areas in the desert, mountains and by the ocean. She is a mother to two boys, a naturalist, and writer. She lives in Ann Arbor, MI. The Wild Birds is her first novel.