Grief Is the Thing with Feathers

In a London flat, two young boys face the unbearable sadness of their mother's sudden death. Their father, a Ted Hughes scholar and scruffy romantic, imagines a future of well-meaning visitors and emptiness.
In this moment of despair they are visited by Crow - antagonist, trickster, healer, babysitter. This self-described sentimental bird is attracted to the grieving family and threatens to stay until they no longer need him. As weeks turn to months and physical pain of loss gives way to memories, this little unit of three begin to heal.
In this extraordinary debut - part novella, part polyphonic fable, part essay on grief, Max Porter's compassion and bravura style combine to dazzling effect. Full of unexpected humour and profound emotional truth, Grief is the Thing with Feathers marks the arrival of a thrilling new talent.

Max Porter's first novel,
Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, won the
Sunday Times/Peter, Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer of the Year, the International Dylan Thomas Prize, the Europese Literatuurprijs and the BAMB Readers' Award, and was shortlisted for the
Guardian First Book Award and the Goldsmiths Prize. His second novel,
Lanny, was a Sunday Times bestseller and was longlisted for the Booker Prize. His work has been translated into thirty languages. He has previously worked as a bookseller and editor and has also written
The Death of Francis Bacon, the short film
All of this Unreal Time and the pamphlet
It's Going to Be a Bright New Day. Max lives in Bath with his family.