Product Description
An exquisite young adult verse novel that delves into the pain of loss and trauma and the healing balm of friendship, from the highly acclaimed author of The Art of Taxidermy.
Maddy is mute. Since the Incident she has barely spoken. And now she and her mother and brother are staying in a farmhouse on an old apricot orchard not far from town. It's a chance to rest and recuperate-or a way to hide further away from the world.
Alice is waiting. Since Birdy, her darling daughter, disappeared forty-five years ago, she has sat in her house waiting for her to come home.
Alice says Maddy reminds her of Birdy, and Maddy feels a strange connection to the long-lost girl. In the quiet not-speaking and waiting, amid the clutter of the old woman's house, Maddy and Alice slowly become friends.
Until Maddy takes something that's not hers.
Birdy is a tender warm-hearted verse novel about the pain of loss and shame, the beauty of words, and the healing power of small acts of kindness.
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non-consensual sex, social media fall-out, social media, trauma, healing, pandemic, moving house, starting again, mute, Maralinga, nuclear tests, connection to land, grief, guilt, kindness, consent
After a traumatic experience of non-consensual sexual abuse in her past, Maddy chose to be mute. Going out is overwhelming, and she struggles to communicate her feelings to others. Instead, Maddy writes verse poetry about her pain and her everyday experiences. Thankfully, Maddy has her friend Levi and sees a therapist to help her speak again. She celebrates when Maddy says a few words to her dad in a shop and to Alice, a woman nearby. Alice tells Maddy that she reminds her of her daughter, Birdy, who disappeared forty-five years ago. As Maddy learns more about Birdy, she learns to process her pain in unexpected ways.
