Rare novel and highly recommended...
"Birds in Fall" is a rare novel indeed, in that it aspired to deal with the concepts of loss and grieving amongst a group of strangers after a plane crash affects their lives and truly delivered. It brought together a cast of characters who never would have had contact with one another and forced them to grieve as one for their individual and collective losses. I felt this novel went places others only dream of going, in terms of exploring a topic and emotions that are otherwise too difficult to write about or examine. Without giving too much away, what I loved most about this book was the way in which the first part was written from Russel's perspective therefore leaving the rest of the novel open to the idea of possibility, and the question that kept popping into my mind at least of possible survival. While it was certainly upsetting at times, it was also truly uplifting and a story ultimately about love and connecting. I highly recommend this novel.
