4/5 stars
The Crane Husband, by Kelly Barnhill (2023)
Barnhill does magical realism very well. I've read two other novels by her - The Girl Who Drank the Moon and When Women Were Dragons - and enjoyed them, but thought both could use some trimming. This book, by contrast, is a short novella, and the page count is perfect. Barnhill's creativity and ability to weave an engaging story really shines in this shorter format.
This novella is a retelling of the Japanese myth of The Crane Wife, where a man marries a woman who is actually a crane in disguise. The crane woman plucks her feathers to weave a silk brocade for the man to sell, but becomes increasingly sick because of it.
In this case, a woman, with two young kids at home, brings home a new lover - who is a crane, not in disguise. Her (unnamed) 15-year old daughter and younger son, Michael, are at first unfazed, having gotten used to their eccentric, tapestry-artist mother bringing men home for brief affairs since their father's death. But this time it's different. Yes, their mother has always been flighty. And yes, the daughter has always done the lion's share of work around the house - selling her mother's art, paying the bills, grocery shopping, cleaning - and taking care of Michael. But until now, the mother always showed affection for her children, and continued to create artwork so that they had money.
Now, the mother is completely obsessed with the crane, neglecting her children and any sellable artwork in favor of raucous sex, and hours upon hours in her studio with the crane - with nothing to show for it. The crane, for his part, is a frightening and cruel character, who demands freshly killed animals for his meals, and leaves bruises and cuts all over the mother. Eventually, the daughter realizes she must take action against the crane in order to save her mother, herself, and Michael.
It's dark and engaging, and even though it's fantasy, it's based heavily in the realities of domestic abuse, which makes it a powerful read, as well as a fun one.
UP NEXT: The Notebook of Lost Things, by Megan Staffel
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