28. Grief Is The Thing With Feathers | Max Porter
My friend Malinda reminded me of this beautiful book when we met in Ireland recently. You can buy her here.
Friends,
There’s a handful of books to reach for when you experience a sudden loss in your life, this is one of those.
Strange, sad and stunning, Max Porter writes about two young boys and their father facing the sudden death of their mother.
In this moment of despair they are visited by Crow, drawn to the grieving family and threatening to stay until they no longer need him.
I won’t ruin the short book for you, here’s my two favourite parts:
BOYS
Dad said it was high time we sprinkled Mum’s ashes.
He phoned the school in the morning to tell them we had a sick bug. I’m in a plague house, he joked with the secretary, it’s bad in here, they’ve got it both ends if you know what I mean.
Gross. We laughed.
Out you hop kids. Coats on, hats on, let’s do it.
DAD
We went to a place she loved. I told them in the car on the way that I realised I had been an unusual dad since Mum died. They told me not to worry. I told them that all the nonsense about Crow was over, I was going to get a bit more teaching work and stop thinking about Ted Hughes.
I walked to the shoreline. I knelt done and opened the tin.
I said her name.
I recited ‘Lovesong’1, a poem I liked a great deal but she never thought much of. I apologised for reading it and told myself not to worry.
The ashes stirred and seemed eager so I tilted the tin and I yelled into the wind
I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU