Reviews

Rating 4.5 stars rounded off to 5

Thought-provoking and profound with intense philosophical impact!

Synopsis –

Isaac is drowning in grief. With an unimaginable kind of loneliness and hopelessness clinging to his very being, he stands near a bridge and screams. But something screams back. It’s an Egg, an otherworldly being - is it extra-terrestrial or celestial? Or something else? When Isaac decides to take it home, he never thought he would gain a lifelong friend in this “Egg”? Can this “Egg” save him from himself?

Review –

I listened to this on audio thanks to the courtesy of NetGalley and Headline Audio. I don’t think it could’ve been better in any other format.

The general mood of the book is melancholic and somber. The narrator did a wonderful job with his voice adapted to convey this forlorn tone of the book. He also deserves an applause for mimicking the various sounds of the “Egg” and its attempts at speaking.

The story of Isaac is not an easy one. It’s immersed in sadness, heartache and gut-wrenching sorrow. I’d say you need the right mindset to read this book, else you would struggle to connect with him.

However, just as every cloud comes with a silver lining, Isaac is blessed with one such too. The Egg. Once Egg comes into his life, although not immediately, Isaac begins to change in ways he cannot comprehend.

I just loved how interaction blooms between Isaac and Egg. Gradually they strike a kind of friendship that helps with Isaac’s loneliness, giving him a routine, a purpose, finally returning him to his normal humanly existence. This unique friendship is what makes this book so special. What a brilliant and ingenious idea behind the Egg!

What I absolutely adored was Egg’s voice on audio! Oh, I think I was laughing and crying at the same time, with some of Egg’s antics and attempts of communication with Isaac. It was truly a joy to see Egg becoming Isaac’s companion for life!

Palmer‘s writing is exquisite - adorned with some beautiful wordings and quotes, that they made me wonder about the very crux of life, destiny’s cruelties and how it renders us utterly helpless.

Isaac's tale is not only about grief and loss, but also about hope, finding a friend for life and a "home".

This is a story that would stay with me forever.

basil_touche's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I ended up being sold on this book after reading the first page. It's bizarre premise and absurd sense of humor really appeal to my own sensiblities when it comes to fiction, while also having an emotional core that holds no barred to it's subject. The style of the writing was clear and kept my attention and the fun quirks with the typography where words move or even form the shape of an egg really added to the experience.

Egg was probably my favourite character, I kept imaginging him as being a puppet from the Jim Henson Company and the erratic wiggling of his absurdly long arms made for quite the humourous image. But, he's also essential to the darker subject matter in helping Issac acknowledge and remember the full extent of his wife's death. It's a fine balance that I think the book does with flying colours. Whether Egg was real or a memory of Mary's last book project is left for the reader to decide. I like to think it's a little of both.

I do think that the big reveal near the end of the book was obvious and that it felt a tad rushed at the end, but I still found the conclusion to be an emotional and satsifying one (I even got a little teary eyed). Really glad I read this one

Content Warnings