Review: The Crane Wife By Max China
The Crane Wife is based on a folk tale I first grew familiar with through the lyrics of a song by The Decemberists. That’s what led me to read this book. But, it’s about much more than the legend and is still more than a horror fantasy. It’s about how loss, grief, and alcoholism has broken a family.
Jericho, Jack, and Emily are all the walking wounded to varying degrees. Jericho lost his wife and then essentially lost his mind. His relationship with his now-adult son Jack and daughter Emily has foundered because of his self-isolation ever since the death of their mother.
Alone in their getaway in the wilderness, as winter strands him even further from others, Jericho is free to look for an end to pain in the bottom of a bottle. While it’s difficult for him to know what’s real, he’s obviously unstable and that alone makes the danger plain to the reader as he sees supernatural forces manifesting. And then, Birdy appears. It’s a suspenseful and original story.
Thank you to author Max China and NetGalley for the free advance reader’s copy of The Crane Wife. They have placed me under no obligation, however. My review is positive because I loved reading this book.
Cat's Game 