Novel Writers: Max Porter, Grief is the Thing with Feathers

About

These sessions are a great way to discover new writing talent and great books. In partnership with Bristol Festival of Ideas.

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 novella, 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.

 ‘I found it utterly astonishing. Truly, truly remarkable. At once deeply affecting and fiercely intelligent, an elegy and a celebration … [T]o my mind what elevates Porter’s work is the interplay of caustic wit and genuine pathos, and the raw humanity of the piece.’ Nathan Filer

Max Porter is a senior editor at Granta Books and Portobello Books. He previously managed an independent bookshop and won the Young Bookseller of the Year award. He lives in South London with his wife and children. Grief is the Thing with Feathers is his first book.