Porter, Max. Grief is the Thing with Feathers. Graywolf Press, 2015.
In Grief is the Thing with Feathers, Porter explores a father’s grief following the unexpected and tragic death of his wife. Porter’s novel tackles the mundane, the exciting, the colorful, and the greyscale of grief from a poetic angle. As the point of view (POV) switches between a widower, his sons, and this obscure anthropomorphic Crow, readers see volatile and vulnerable moments of guilt, discomfort, sorrow, growth, and love. Rather than giving each son their own POV, Porter presents them as one unit, which makes their perspective on grief beautifully warped and inconsistent. The Crow’s POV is exceptionally notable. As a manifestation of grief’s obscurities, the Crow’s voice often weaves between clear advice and cryptic blabbering.
Porter has a refreshing and contemporary take on writing about grief. It’s a mix of prose and poetry, which helps emphasize the fluid yet unpredictable grieving process. The POV switches quite frequently, as each section lasts about two or three pages. This dynamism allows the reader to not get stuck on one person’s grief for too long, showing the interconnected experience of grieving as a family. This novel is a great example of unique strategies for writing about complex emotions. He satirizes a commonly cliché-ridden experience. Many aspects of this novel, specifically the Crow’s POV, could demonstrate new perspectives and tactics for writing about grief.