Brood Review

"Brood" is about an unnamed woman and the coop her life seems to revolve around. As the season's change and new threats appear, we learn more about her as she cares for her chickens.

General Impressions

"Brood" ended up being nothing like what I (or anyone, I'm pretty sure) could have predicted and although I never thought I would enjoy reading a book about a woman caring for her chickens, I found myself mourning the ones she lost and rejoicing when they were healthy. I guess that proves that a good writer can make anything interesting, which Jackie did.

This is fast but by no means a light or easy read. The only insights into this character's life are the snippets she reveals while caring for her brood. We learn about her job, her marriage and her life, but it's as if those details are secondary to her chickens. We have to read about her trauma and its emotional toll mostly in between the lines and form conclusions out of her actions.

While the overall mood of the entire book is sad and solitary because that is how she feels, there were some lighter moments like the foundation of love in which her marriage was built and the chickens' names and personalities.

Conclusions

I ended this book feeling a bit unmoored. Brood didn't follow the structure we are used to in western fiction where there is a beginning middle and end and characters strive and find enlightenment. But looking back, I found it an honest portrayal of loss and grief in its most raw state, with no unrealistic promises of future happiness or sudden inner peace. Even the ending itself was up to the reader to make of it what they desired.

Thank you to Macmillan for this proof.

Rating: 3.5/5