Full of reflections on writing, aging, and a lot of other
stuff, the main plot of this novel involves a young man, an older woman, and a
parrot, all inhabiting a Manhattan apartment during the Covid lockdown. The older woman, a writer, is the
first-person narrator who is pet-sitting the parrot full-time while a visiting
doctor occupies her own apartment. Then
the previous pet-sitter, a young man whose wealthy parents have thrown him out,
returns to resume taking care of the parrot.
The narrator is none too happy with this sudden intrusion, as she has
developed an affinity for the parrot herself.
This unlikely threesome forms the core of the book, but the narrator’s
musings fill the majority of the pages and are full of anecdotes that may or
may not support the narrator’s opinions.
The young man has mental health issues but is a kind soul who lives in
the present without much concern for the future. How these two bond with one another—and the
parrot—makes for a sweet story in an “uncertain spring,” to quote the first
sentence of the book. Gallows humor is
needed in times like these, and here are a couple of examples from this novel
that contain more than just a grain of truth:
p. 142: “I like that
Alan Bennett said, For a writer, nothing is ever quite as bad as it is for
other people, because, however dreadful, it may be of use.”
p. 143:
“And nutty epitaphs: I know not
everyone is unhappy about this.”
No comments:
Post a Comment