Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

Chouette by Claire Oshetsky

29 reviews

violetturtledove's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I mistakenly thought from the description of this story as a 'fairytale' it might be a bit too cute and saccharine. It is not. The best fairytales are actually a mix of magic and horror, and so is this book. And although I have no personal experience I believe the same could be said for motherhood! 

You've got to suspend your disbelief for this one and not ask too many questions. Is the narrator reliable? How much of this is literal and how much is metaphor? Is this our world seen through a different lens, or do different rules apply here? How do we reconcile Tiny's experiences with the reactions of those around her (are they overreacting at something slightly out of the ordinary, or being shockingly calm in the face of a medical marvel?). The morals of the story, and the balance of magic and horror, changes quite a bit depending on how literally you take it. 

Does the owl-baby represent a trans child, a disabled child, an autistic child? All of these fit in some ways but not others. Some of the details of the book may recall some of these experiences, but it's not a straightforward allegory of anything more specific than 'letting your child be themself'. Or maybe just 'this is what being a parent is like'. In the words of the author 'the child in the novel is an owl'. 

It's sweet but also very unsettling, and I felt frustrated on Tiny's behalf as her opinions are constantly ignored, her feelings dismissed and her actions misinterpreted. And fair warning (hopefully not too much of a spoiler in a book about an apex predator), there's a lot of animal death. But if you can handle these aspects it's well worth reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Blood, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

 Chouette is the strangest book I've read in a while, a modern fable about mothering a child who falls outside the accepted norm. Tiny is a cello player who somehow becomes pregnant to her (female) owl lover and gives birth to an owl-baby. Her husband intitally struggles with the baby's differences, but then focusses his attention on therapies, treatment and doctors to give Chouette, whom he calls Charlotte and refers to as "our girl", a better life, in other words to try and make her "normal". Tiny, meanwhile, fiercely and unconditionally loves her owl-baby, believes she is perfect as she is, is fixated on letting Chouette be her true self, and wants others to love and accept her for who she is. Tiny is disappointed and increasingly lonely when Chouette isn't accepted, becomes burnt out from trying to accommodate all her special needs, and, of course, increasingly alienated from her husband. A paean for the unconditional love of a mother and for children being unapologetically, joyfully themselves. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, and Blood

kristasorocks's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Blood, Excrement, and Vomit

Moderate: Dementia

imrereads's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow! What an incredible story, written so beautifully and melodically. I want to echo the quotes on the cover of ny edition, calling it magnificent, a marvel, and sublime.

This is the story of a mother (Tiny) and her child (Chouette), her owl-baby, this little one with her strange apparence, who will never learn to walk or talk and causes chaos wherever she goes. Her mother loves her for who she is while the father want to try any and every treatmwnt available to make her better (or rather make her normative — because underneath the strange magical realism we find a story about parenting a non-normative child.)

This is a strange and queer book about fierce motherly love, disability and ability, and breaking free from expectations. It opens with this wonderful passage:
"I dream I'm making tender love with an owl. The next morning I see talon marks across my chest that trace the path of my owl-lober's embrace. Two weeks later I learn that I'm pregnant.
You may wonder: How could such a thing come to pass between a woman and an owl?
I, too, am astounded, because my owl-lover was a woman."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, and Blood

m1923's review against another edition

reflective tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

bookishmagpie's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring sad fast-paced

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

4.0

what did i just read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Confinement, Blood, Excrement, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

readingpicnic's review against another edition

5.0

I was hooked by the first page! Such weird and captivating writing that I finished it in one day. Such a heartbreaking story about the isolation of motherhood coupled with having a disabled child that her husband wants to “fix” (autism speaks vibes). I love how she never gave up on her owl daughter and that she understood that there was nothing to fix about her daughter; that the world needs to be fixed to be a more accessible and accepting place for Chouette. I loved the queerness of this book as well, in all its many layers. Overall, a stellar book. This is like The Fifth Child if the mom hadn’t been ableist also. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

scorpi07's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

That was… weird? What an oddly affirming tale of the sacrifices of motherhood. Though this story is strangely magical, dark, and left me wondering what just happened, I kind of loved it. 
I’ve stumbled across several books in this vein. I like the magical realism and the lack of clarity on what *really* just transpired. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Violence, and Blood

vishnork's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Abortion

redrockhoney's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual content and Excrement

Minor: Abortion