What the Birds See

by Sonya Hartnett

Book Overview

Entwining a tale of missing children with the story of a lonely little boy, Sonya Hartnett captures the tenderness and dread of childhood in a work of exceptional storytelling. The year is 1977, and Adrian is nine. He lives with his gran and his uncle Rory. His best friend is Clinton Tull. Adrian loves to draw, and he wants a dog. He's afraid of quicksand, shopping centers, and self-combustion. But as closely as he watches his suburban world, there...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763620920
• ISBN13: 9780763620929
• Release Date: February 2003
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 196 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN, PERFECTLY VOICED...

...either of which would be a great achievement, writing as the author does centered on the point-of-view of a nine-year-old boy in a lot of emotional pain. Adrian has been dumped more than once in his life - taken from his mother by the State when it is determined that she is unable to care for him, then later by his father who feels his `freedom' threatened by the presence of a child in his life. He lives with his grandmother Beattie and his uncle Rory - they have issues of their own, as does apparently everyone in his family. Beattie has lost her husband to cancer, and repeatedly muses in near-depressive resignation about being the mother of three adult children who cannot really be adults in the world. Rory is an emotional cripple as a result of a car accident that made a vegetable of his best friend, a direct result of rebellion against the upbringing Rory was given by his parents - he has become agoraphobic, never leaving the house. Sookie, Adrian's mother, is completely out of the picture (as is his dad) - no one has any idea of her whereabouts. Marta, Beatie's other daughter (who changed her name from Maggie when she decided it wasn't glamorous enough), is so cold and self-centered that when she comes to visit she sows nothing but conflict.Into this atmosphere comes Adrian - actually a pretty normal nine-year-old, despite his view of himself. He's teetering on the brink of adolescence, and he's dealing emotionally with a pretty heavy case of abandonment anxiety - and this colors every aspect of his life. He is already developing numerous fears and phobias at his young age - he's afraid of shopping centers, quicksand, self-combustion; but mainly he begins to worry that he's about to be cast out again. Topping all of this off - and stirring the emotional pot mightily - is the case of three children who live nearby who seem to have simply vanished while walking a few blocks for ice cream. The children's parents appear on the telly, naturally distraught and tearful, begging of their return. The only clue seems to be a sketchy description of a `thin man' who was seen near the children just before they vanished - they city is in a panic, led by the fears of parents afraid their kids will be next. An unknown enemy is always the most frightful one.Adrian is a great example of how children become abused and damaged in ways that are not as `direct' as people imagine when they hear the term `abused child'. While there is love and kindness in his life, the loneliness that he feels, and the fears of being abandoned by the shattered family that is left to him, are all too real. He is made to feel like a burden, someone to be traded off like a pet dog when it becomes too much trouble to deal with him.Adrian hasn't many friends - his closest friend Clinton is only a superficial one. When a new family moves in across the street with three children, he feels himself drawn to them. He befriends Nicole, the oldest of the three - there are sp

So Beautifully Written!

A long song, really... All the things that broke your heart in childhood, brought back sharply in your mind, all the disappointment of adulthood on display... Dark, yet so poignant, yearning, beautiful, sad and dark and lonely, and... Brilliant. I have to sit quietly after reading anything by Ms. Hartnett. she makes my soul shiver. Read it. You be the judge.

Haunting

This is a beautifully written novel that will clutch at your heart. Adrien is an emotionally abused child with no sense of self-worth: he has been shuttled around, unwanted and friendless, and is now living with his grandmother and uncle. They worry about uprooting the boy, not realizing that he has no roots, no emotional connections.I tend to see it as being for older teens and adults-- though it is sometimes difficult to get them to read a book about a nine year old. Reading a few paragraphs will convince anyone that this is not a child's perspective, but an omnicient somewhat dispassionate narrator with an adult's perspective. Some may be perturbed that the missing children mentioned so prominently are never found in the course of the book: we tend to want things tied up in neat packages. In fact, the children's disappearance does drive the book in that it sets Adrien's course, but they are not the focus. The language and imagery are exquisite.I would recommend this to someone wanting a "think about" book-- it's not a quick casual read.I would also like to chastise the professional reviewer who gave away the ending. Not very professional, in my opinion.

A lovely, haunting read...

This author can WRITE. There are writers who just put words down on paper, and then there are artists, creating entire worlds, interior and exterior. Sonya Hartnett is an artist.The story is haunting, a mystery of sorts, nearly lyrical in places. Many places. I'd not want to give anything away. The perceptive reader will pick up on clues as it is. As it is, we have the tale of a nine year old boy who does not ...well, how do you say it...just doesn't come prepared to handle the tasks and toils of living. He is etherial, more spirit than flesh, and doesn't fit into the world as do the flesh-bound. This is his life, this short novel is (which, by the way, is far more geared for adults than for teens, who haven't yet lived enough to grasp it).The bird imagery is right on target, a constant metaphor that connects the entire story like a flock of separate, yet united, birds in flight. It is not a matter of whether or not the story is a happy one, for everything in life needn't be Disney. It is, moreover, a story that will land in the inside of the reader, a bird flown from the pages and into the heart.It will stay there for a very long time. I cannot fully express how worthy a read this is, and yet how unnerving. I am in awe. It is a flawless novel.

What the Birds See

I just recieved this book for my birthday. I began reading it and i was hooked from the first page. The beginning is amazing and as the book continues, you begin to get sucked into Sonya Hartnett's dark world that she creates in the book. I strogly suggest this book to anyone who loves to read!