GHOST BIRD follows the tale of Aboriginal twins Laney and Stacey, who grew up in their lower-middle-class rural Australian town. Their idyllic life, however, is thrown for a curveball when Laney mysteriously goes missing after going out with her friends. Through a bizarre series of premonitions that fringe on the supernatural, Stacey becomes obsessed with tracking down her sister and ensuring her safety. Her trials and tribulations, which lead her all over her town and beyond, ultimately unearth old lore about the tenuous relationship between native and British Australians in the small town.
I really enjoyed this novel. It was a splendid mix of horrifying and heartwarming, and I loved every moment of it. The setting of a rural Australian town was a setting that I had never really properly explored in my reading life, but I thoroughly enjoyed how grounded it made the story’s plot as a whole. Too often have I consumed media that follow the same beats when it comes to setting–the old, abandoned house or hospital, the graveyard, etc–but by grounding the novel in a setting that all Australians–especially those who live in Kyneton–made it much more believable and by extension, a lot more terrifying. I was really able to connect with the novel a lot more because of this factor and felt that it should be praised for writing about.
I also really enjoyed the way this novel was written, from the cleverly-written characters to the plot. The plot in question was not completely different from what readers may be used to but still manages to convey a tone and stance that sets it apart from other books. I usually criticise novels for not fully explaining all of the loose ends before finishing the novel (yes, Rules For Vanishing, I am looking at you) but I really felt as though Fuller tied up all necessary angles, but left some parts completely open to interpretation. This acts as a neutralisation between the readers and the writers, and a good relationship between these two is, for me, what makes a novel perfect.
I really liked the characters in this novel, too. The believable relationship between the two girls set a proper tone for the whole novel. By developing their relationship right off the bat, it made the overall disappearance of Laney much more resonant with me. We were really able to feel the loss that Sracey felt through the wording, and I genuinely felt attached to the cast, even though they perhaps could’ve done with more backstory, though that would be extremely nitpicky on my part.
With a solid story, poignant descriptive language and a positive cast, Ghost Bird is a horrifying romp for teens all over Australia.
The Conference of the Birds offers readers with a fifth dive into Ransom Rigg’s world of the much-adored literary peculiars. In this novel, which carries on directly from ‘A Map …
Contagion by Teri Terry is a ticking time bomb of a novel, each chapter bringing the reader closer to the point of impact. This pre-apocalyptic dystopian novel set in Scotland …
Released to the public on September 3rd of 2018, Violet Grace’s novel The Girl Who Fell tells the tale of Francesca ‘Chess’ Raven, an adolescent girl living with a woman …
A Curse of Ash and Embers follows Elodie, who is sent away from her stepfather, mother and siblings to work at Black Oak Cottage. But as Elodie journeys there, she …
Jakob Wegelius’ middle-grade novel The Murderer’s Ape tells the story of Sally Jones, an anthropomorphic gorilla working closely with a man known as ‘The Chief.’ Together, the two journey all …
Melina Marchetta’s coming-of-age novel is a refreshingly mature young adult adventure that captures the feeling on the crux of growing up and watching all that was familiar with the world …
Book Review – Ghost Bird by Lisa Fuller
I really enjoyed this novel. It was a splendid mix of horrifying and heartwarming, and I loved every moment of it. The setting of a rural Australian town was a setting that I had never really properly explored in my reading life, but I thoroughly enjoyed how grounded it made the story’s plot as a whole. Too often have I consumed media that follow the same beats when it comes to setting–the old, abandoned house or hospital, the graveyard, etc–but by grounding the novel in a setting that all Australians–especially those who live in Kyneton–made it much more believable and by extension, a lot more terrifying. I was really able to connect with the novel a lot more because of this factor and felt that it should be praised for writing about.
I also really enjoyed the way this novel was written, from the cleverly-written characters to the plot. The plot in question was not completely different from what readers may be used to but still manages to convey a tone and stance that sets it apart from other books. I usually criticise novels for not fully explaining all of the loose ends before finishing the novel (yes, Rules For Vanishing, I am looking at you) but I really felt as though Fuller tied up all necessary angles, but left some parts completely open to interpretation. This acts as a neutralisation between the readers and the writers, and a good relationship between these two is, for me, what makes a novel perfect.
I really liked the characters in this novel, too. The believable relationship between the two girls set a proper tone for the whole novel. By developing their relationship right off the bat, it made the overall disappearance of Laney much more resonant with me. We were really able to feel the loss that Sracey felt through the wording, and I genuinely felt attached to the cast, even though they perhaps could’ve done with more backstory, though that would be extremely nitpicky on my part.
With a solid story, poignant descriptive language and a positive cast, Ghost Bird is a horrifying romp for teens all over Australia.
RATINGS:
Plot: 8/10
Characters: 10/10
Writing: 9.25/10
OVERALL: 9/10
Related Posts
Book Review – The Conference of the Birds by Ransom Riggs
The Conference of the Birds offers readers with a fifth dive into Ransom Rigg’s world of the much-adored literary peculiars. In this novel, which carries on directly from ‘A Map …
Book Review – Contagion by Teri Terry
Contagion by Teri Terry is a ticking time bomb of a novel, each chapter bringing the reader closer to the point of impact. This pre-apocalyptic dystopian novel set in Scotland …
Book Review – The Girl Who Fell by Violet Grace
Released to the public on September 3rd of 2018, Violet Grace’s novel The Girl Who Fell tells the tale of Francesca ‘Chess’ Raven, an adolescent girl living with a woman …
Book Review – A Curse of Ash and Embers by Jo Spurrier
A Curse of Ash and Embers follows Elodie, who is sent away from her stepfather, mother and siblings to work at Black Oak Cottage. But as Elodie journeys there, she …
Book Review – The Murderer’s Ape by Jakob Wegelius
Jakob Wegelius’ middle-grade novel The Murderer’s Ape tells the story of Sally Jones, an anthropomorphic gorilla working closely with a man known as ‘The Chief.’ Together, the two journey all …
Book Review – On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Melina Marchetta’s coming-of-age novel is a refreshingly mature young adult adventure that captures the feeling on the crux of growing up and watching all that was familiar with the world …