The China Bird by Bryony Doran

Read from September 16th - 7th October 2015.

Published November 16th 2010 by Bookline and Thinker

Format     Paperback - 284 pages

Review

...'just because someone is not considered normal, should they not be beautiful?' That is definitely a line that certainly stirs the grey matter. This book is about a young art student who whilst quietly contemplating her new art project, she befriends an older man, Edward. Edward leads a rather bland life.Apart from Edwards job at the library, his mother is his only other staple in his life and is rather dictatorial about it too, but this is clearly a protection strategy.Edward's body encases a twisted spine but the much younger Angela only see's this as a beautiful deformity. Angela convinces Edward to sit for her and so becomes her 'project topic'. We, as readers are introduced to the ups and downs between these two over a period of time and although they are the main characters, the story would have soon become pretty tedious if all we read about was Angela painting Edwards picture. The world around Edward and Angela, and how they entwine into their lives are concentrated on, and what stories they tell.Each character has a complex story of their own. Edward may have his own physical deformity but this book shows that each person has some form of deformity of their own they are getting through which makes everyone the same in the end. I didn't particularly like Edward at the beginning.I felt like he had a chip on his shoulder and that poor Angela was walking on egg shells not meaning to put her young foot in her mouth. Do not be fooled, this isn't a love story as such at all, more like one of detail (not just on Angela's canvas), seeking, finding, learning, investigation and realisation. I know others didn't like the ending and I believe some may have been looking for a romantic ending.I wasn't and I loved the ending.I felt you had to immerse yourself right into the book, looking outside the box to fully see and understand the ending to it's fullest.Without giving too much away, the ending was a reflection on what was happening in Edwards life at that moment in time.This is ultimately my interpretation of this fantastic book. This book was very sensitively,beautifully and cleverly written.A book for the adult mind. Not my usual cup of tea, what a surprise.A little uncomplicated gem that is certainly worth a read, and for me - a second read at some point. 4 out of 5 stars given for this one.