Book Summary and Reviews of Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi

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Cathryn Conroy

Imaginative and Unconventional Twist on
This highly unconventional twist on "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a thought-provoking and beguiling examination of beauty, race, stereotypes, and prejudice told from the evil stepmother's point of view—minus the dwarfs, poisoned apple, and awakening kiss.

But more than anything, this is a book about mothers and daughters and their often fractured, tenuous relationships, as well as the angst, but importance, of bringing truth to light.

After enduring years of horrific abuse by her often drunk father, a rat-catcher in New York City, Boy Novak runs away. She has never known her mother. It's 1953, and she is 20 years old. She only wonders why it took her so long. She boards a bus, taking it as far as it will go and steps off in the small town of Flax Hill, Massachusetts. It is gently snowing. She knows no one. No one knows her. And she doesn't even know where she will sleep that night. But Boy, who is searching for happiness, makes Flax Hill her home. It's a magical place where Boy says the air tastes like palinka, although it tastes like lemon curd to her boss.

She marries Arturo Whitman, a widower and jewelry maker, who has an adorable and stunningly beautiful six-year-old daughter named Snow. Instead of an engagement ring, he makes Boy a snake bracelet. She and Arturo have their own daughter, whom they name Bird. Surprise! Bird is Black. And with her birth, Whitman family secrets come spilling to the fore. In her confusion and distrust, Boy becomes the evil stepmother, sending little Snow away—banishing her from the only home and people she has ever known.

As Bird grows up and hears stories of Snow, she manages to contact this mysterious sister. Through secretly exchanged letters, the sisters get to know one another. Among other things, they realize they share a weird quirk: Sometimes—not always and not even most of the time—they are not visible when they look in a mirror. But how important are appearances after all?

With touches of magical realism, a wildly imaginative plot, and profound wisdom, this beautifully written, original story is as much disquieting and alarming as it is revelatory and transformative.

Jude

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi
Great read in my opinion. Some of my friends think some of my picks are a little edgy but I enjoy something different. I think Oyeyemi has a lot to say and a very interesting way of saying it.

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