MarilynW's Reviews > Other Birds

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

I don't always know what to think of stories that deal with magical realism but this one is a winner for me. The Dellawisps are the tiny turquoise birds that the five unit, well hidden, apartment building in Mallow Island, South Carolina, is named after. This birds inhabit the courtyard garden of the apartment complex, and they can be found around and on the apartment manager, Frasier, too. These little birds seem to have a lot to say, strong opinions about everything, and are every bit as scary, for some folks, as they are tiny.

Nineteen year old Zoey has just arrived at the apartment complex so that she can inhabit her late mother's studio apartment. Her mother died when she was seven and she's lived a lonely life since that time. Her father is wealthy, wanted little to do with her even though she lived in his home, and neither did the woman he married after Zoey's mom's death. It was as if her dad, stepmother, and her two step siblings were waiting for her to finally move out of their house so they could really be a family without her intrusion in their lives.

All the residents and the manager of the property have hurts and longings that keep them from living their lives fully. They are lonely and sad and try to hide these feelings but instead they wear them like a cloak they can't take off. One resident, an intrusive, angry, bitter lady, dies as soon as Zoey moves in and she can't help being interested in this woman. Frasier asks Zoey to go through her apartment to find some missing papers and to clean the hoarded mess of this woman. Another neighbor, Charlotte, helps Zoey and despite Charlotte's fear of befriending and trusting anyone, these women become close. And there is the big, redheaded chef, Mac, who has his own hurts and secrets. Another resident is Lucy, the dead woman's sister, who is so reclusive that Zoey never sees her because the woman won't leave her apartment during the light of day.

This is such a sweet story, as these people come together and learn to give and learn to love. So much more makes a family than blood ties. There is so much more to belonging than having the same last name as others. And just because you can't see something doesn't mean it doesn't exist and isn't real. This story brought such a smile to my face and I loved all the birds, including the invisible pigeon named Pigeon.

Pub August 30th 2022

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.