Book Review: Rare Birds

Bird watching is an interesting hobby that I respect people for taking up.  I wouldn’t say it’s particularly my sort of pastime, but the idea of going in search of rare birds in the wide expanse of nature is compelling to say the least. Birds are an interesting breed of animal, their ability to soar amongst the world, seeing everything below as distant observers while chirping away in the background with their own unique calls gives them some notable charm and appeal. What happens when you take that wonderful hobby of bird spotting and you mix it with a heartfelt story about valuing life in the wake of your own misfortunes? You get a rather uplifting story by the name of Rare Birds by Jeff Miller. 

The story of Rare Birds follows young Graham Dodds and his critically-ill mother as they fly over to Sugarland, Florida in hopes of receiving a heart transplant.  All Graham has ever known is the fear of losing his mother, as she’s suffered from a weak heart condition all of her life.  With hope on the horizon though, Graham must learn to acclimatize to his new surroundings for his mom’s sake.  As he settles into his new temporary accommodations, Graham forms an uneasy relationship with his mom’s friend’s son called Nick. As well as Nick, Graham also meets a young girl called Lou and they come to learn of a local competition which would offer $5000 to whoever can take a picture of a Snail Kite, a rare bird found within the region.  Together, Graham and Lou team up to brave the Sugarland terrain to scout for the bird all the while Graham’s mum’s condition quickly deteriorates while she waits for her chance at a new heart. 

The narrative of Rare Birds is an endearing one that focuses on valuing the beauty of life even in it’s lowest moments. Graham as a character is honest and vulnerable in the situation he finds himself in, but I feel his characterization is oddly one-note, which is a flaw I feel a lot of the wider cast all fall prey to sadly.  It’s setup is unique and it makes bold strides to explore a emotionally charged story with Graham’s mother being a critical condition, but it’s a story slightly lacking in complexity.  I get it’s a book geared more towards a younger audience, but I think making it’s core approach too simple means it loses an opportunity to leave a longer lasting impression.  While is misses the mark slightly with not taking a bolder leap in storytelling and characterization, I can’t fault what is here though.  Its emotional core is strong enough to draw in your attention and keep you reading right to the very end.

I was a bit apprehensive about the writing style as I am not typically a 1st person perspective fan when it comes to books, but I think this book manages it pretty decently for the most part. I think the only thing the 1st person storytelling does it emphasize the underwhelming characterization behind Graham. Graham is our window into this world and its story and he seems to take all the events in a constantly reflective manner which makes him feel slightly unrealistic as a character.  As this is a book geared towards a younger audience, I also feel the pacing is too quick to move along and not give enough attention to fleshing out some respective sequences.  This contributes to why the story feels underwhelming to a notable degree because it never tries to take its time.

The emotional core and intent behind Rare Birds are the main reason I don’t dismiss the story completely.  It’s a novel idea and the concepts being focused on here are compelling enough to draw in my attention.  I think my main gripe with the narrative is its lack of depth. Every idea at play in this story doesn’t feel like it’s potential has been tapped well enough.  I think the story is too afraid to go too deep at the risk of alienating its younger audience, but I think it underestimates the intelligence of children to really understand a narrative if given the time to flesh it out.