“…painful, sometimes ugly and always honest…”

This was, without a doubt, an intriguing novella. I can see why – so I am told – Cillian Murphy (of Oppenheimer and Peaky Blinders fame) considers it an excellent book. It doesn’t hurt that he played the lead role in the stage adaptation of the story. I am sure it is a deeply moving play.

How could it not be? The book deals with a father and two boys dealing with grief when their mother, his wife, unexpectedly dies from some kind of head trauma. In their grief, a crow comes to stay with them and helps them process the pain and come through the other side.

The book is a kind of fictional diary bordering on magic realism as the dad, the boys and the crow tell their version of the story. As time goes on, the question of whether or not the crow is real – or indeed what the crow is at all – is explored. It is all very strange and ‘straggly’ in that Porter doesn’t attempt to tie up loose ends or bring about some kind of kitsch trite ending.

Does it work? Well, yes, but it is a little too clever for my liking. Porter admits to loving Ted Hughes’ poetry – from where the idea of the crow arises – and only loosely disguises the dad as himself by having the character be a literary professor whose specialism just happens to be Hughes. In this, it tries too hard. There are aspects of too much homage to the poet and not enough driving of the plot. It is never clear how exactly the crow helps the dad or the boys with their grief. He just seems to be there and enjoys pontificating about how this has always been his role throughout time. Yes, obviously, the crow represents grief – the title makes that clear – but how does the manifestation of this make any difference? Is he just a symbol of that grief? Does that mean they stop grieving when the crow is gone? The metaphor definitely has cracks.

Despite this irritation, it is still a beautifully written book and one that touches the soul. If you have experienced any kind of grief then you will have some degree of empathy with the characters here. It is painful, sometimes ugly and always honest. For me, I could have enjoyed this story without the references to the crow at all. Much of the book simply rings true in a very understated, very British kind of way. This is very much how we do grief.

I do still have to return to the overkill of pretentiousness however. The cover of the book, lovely as it is with a great drawing of the crow, is crammed with praise quotes: seven on the front, squeezed in and making the whole thing too busy; four more on the back along with a list of all the awards won by the book. Not a single bit of blurb about the book itself. Then three pages of praise as soon as you open the book.

The cover is quite a good metaphor for the book itself then. Porter works in publishing and is clearly very well read. It feels like he tried to show off this reading in the writing, squeezing in literary references that got in the way of the telling. It is a shame; this lessens the book.

Nevertheless, while flawed, this is still a book that should be read. It may not be for everyone but I find it hard to believe that most people wouldn’t be moved in some way. I wasn’t brought to tears – I know at least one person who was – but I did feel fondness for the characters and I did reflect on my own griefs experienced over too many years. For that, I’m grateful to Porter. Somehow, this book makes you want to live again, despite the depressing nature of the subject matter. That’s quite a gift Porter has there.

My Verdict:

Social Entrepreneur, educationalist, bestselling author and journalist, D K Powell is the author of the bestselling collection of literary short stories “The Old Man on the Beach“. His first book, ‘Sonali’ is a photo-memoir journal of life in Bangladesh and has been highly praised by the Bangladeshi diaspora worldwide. Students learning the Bengali language have also valued the English/Bengali translations on every page. His third book is ‘Try not to Laugh’ and is a guide to memorising, revising and passing exams for students.

Both ‘The Old Man on the Beach’ and ‘Sonali’ are available on Amazon for kindle and paperback. Published by Shopno Sriti Media. The novel,’The Pukur’, was published by Histria Books in 2022.

D K Powell is available to speak at events (see his TEDx talk here) and can be contacted at dkpowell.contact@gmail.com. Alternatively, he is available for one-to-one mentoring and runs a course on the psychology of writing. Listen to his life story in interview with the BBC here.

Ken writes for a number of publications around the world. Past reviewer for Paste magazine, The Doughnut, E2D and United Airways and Lancashire Life magazine. Currently reviews for Northern Arts Review. His reviews have been read more than 6.9 million times.