The Bird Artist is a mystery, but an unusual one. In most mysteries a crime is committed early in the story (or maybe even before the story begins) and the reader knows that eventually there will be a solution and perhaps even a confession. But this isn’t what happens in The Bird Artist. In fact, the novel employs a plot device popularized by a TV series. Remember "Columbo," which starred the late Peter Falk? Remember how the series utilized what came to be labeled the “inverted detective story” format? There was never any surprise about what crime was committed or who committed it, because that was revealed at the beginning of the episode. The plot primarily revolved around how Columbo unraveled the mystery and trapped the perpetrator.Here is the opening paragraph of The Bird Artist: (There is no need for a spoiler alert because if you read the book this is the first thing you will read.)My name is Fabian Vas. I live in Witless Bay, Newfoundland. You would not have heard of me. Obscurity is not necessarily failure, though; I am a bird artist, and have more or less made a living at it. Yet I murdered the lighthouse keeper, Botho August, and that is an equal part of how I think of myself.And there you have it. The book begins with a confession and immediately we know there was a murder and we know the identity of both the victim and the murderer. The what and the who questions have been answered. All that remains is the why. And even the answer to that question becomes apparent quite early in the story.This quirky and offbeat novel is set early in the 20th century in, as mentioned above, Witless Bay, Newfoundland. And it is filled with quirky and offbeat characters who have quirky and offbeat names. Fabian Vas and Botho August are introduced in the first paragraph. But it doesn’t stop there. Here are some of my other favorites: Mari-Lyma Fsjkskedjial, Sander Muggah, and Odeon Sloo.Reading the names leads one to wonder if Norman as a child might have been unduly influenced by Dr. Seuss. But maybe not. The most famous book ever written about Newfoundland was the award-winning The Shipping News written by Annie Proulx. Here are my favorite character names in that novel: Tert Card, Nutbeem, Billy Pretty, Wavey Prowse, Beety Buggit, Alvin Yark, Ed Punch, and Diddy Shovel. Perhaps names of this sort are common in that province.Despite the fact that the reader of The Bird Artist knows from the first paragraph that a murder has been committed, there is much humor in the novel. And much of that humor stems from the uniqueness of the characters and their high threshold of tolerance for the eccentricities and foibles of their friends and neighbors.I must confess there were times when I thought, no way, that would never happen or that person would not act or react in that way. That just isn’t logical. But then I would think: I’ve never been to Newfoundland; I don’t know anyone from Newfoundland; I don’t know anyone who has visited Newfoundland; I don’t even know anyone who knows anyone from Newfoundland. Maybe at that time and in that place it would be logical – especially in a place named Witless Bay.
Fabian Vas is the main character and engrossing narrator of this novel. Within his first paragraph is states that, "Obscurity is not necessarily failure, though; I am a bird artist, and have more or less made a living at it. Yet I murdered the lighthouse keeper, Botho August, and that is an equal part of how I think of myself." From here he tells the story of growing up in a secluded fishing village in the early 1900s. Vas develops his skills as a bird artist which means that he draws birds. He begins a correspondence with a professional bird artist who coaches him on his sketches. However, there is little money in such a field and Vas knows that he will one day have to join his fellow townspeople in fishing and living off of the sea. Vas' personal life escalates when he begins a relationship with his childhood sweetheart Margaret. Though she too has lived in the same fishing village since her birth, the community has not embraced her but instead believe her to be wild and feared. Vas' parents believe these rumors and set to arrange his marriage to his fourth cousin in New Brunswick. For years Vas let his parents and members of the community run his life for him, yet this is all about to end as Vas discovers his own free will.Many have described this novel as a murder mystery or haunting thriller. While I understand these assessments, I do not agree with them. This novel is about more than a murder. It is about life in a small town and the feeling of being cloistered. It is about the expression of self and the importance of finding a personal outlet. It is about the confusing roles within families which can result in betrayal and hurt. In other words, this is no Nancy Drew or Dean Kootz mystery. Norman even takes the mystery out of the story by not only naming the murderer on the first page but by making him the narrator. This instantly changes the novel from being a thriller to being about the consequences of living a life that is forced upon you. In many ways, this novel reminded me of Albert Camus' "The Stranger" in that a murder occurs and the reader has the ability to be fascinated by that act or by the complex character who committed it. Personally, I find the characters in this novel to be superb and far more interesting than the mystery. The writing is fantastic and while I never sympathized with the characters, I was completely engrossed. Even weeks after finishing the novel, the characters still haunt me and beg for a second reading.www.iamliteraryaddicted.blogspot.com
Do You like book The Bird Artist (1995)?
“ ‘Nowadays, people have to travel to get important memories. Not me’” (35).“ ‘I’ll get up at 4:30 to make your coffee,’ my mother said. ‘But I won’t be in a civil mood’” (37).“His face collapsed; the only thing worse for Boas than being overcharged was not being allowed to pay what was rightfully due” (60).“Then I got dressed and went back to my house. I drank coffee and drew birds all day” (66).“I sat with my sketchbook, trying to capture how cormorants perched on buoys, fanned out their wings like a closet rack full of black neckties, drying them in the sun” (88).“ ‘Fabian dear, I’m only exactly as blunt as life is, forgive the preachy sentence’” (101).“…I could recognize her flower-print dress, thought it was sequined with dry salt” (114).“…the temperature in church quickly rose past comfort, and it seemed that all at once hand-held fans bloomed all down the pews” (118).“The murres whirled above the boat, moved along with us as though they comprised a spectacular mechanical kite, towed by an invisible string” (166).“ ‘I’ll tell you a thimbleful about myself,’ he said. ‘Then we’ll get on with it’” (206).“ ‘I adjourn,’ Kelb said. ‘I’m a magistrate highly annoyed just now’” (210).“ ‘Mr. Kelb,’ my mother said, ‘would you care for some potato-leek soup, like the rest of us?’‘I prefer my potatoes out of soup’” (211)."'He retired because of how his character is made up--he wasn't cut out for the job, really. The job got him too close to lowlife sorts who weren't well met with his more cheerful notions of humanity. Whereas, for me, it's all a perfect fit'" (220)."'It's duckish.'Helen Twombly like that word; it meant the time between sunset and dark" (221).“I fell asleep on the kitchen floor. What startled me awake the next morning was the sound of Margaret crashing into furniture on her bicycle. I got up and saw her sprawled on the floor, spokes spinning. She was bleeding at on knee. She looked up at me. ‘I’m riding my bicycle under house arrest,’ she said” (227).
—Katherine
There is a latent creepiness about the northeast section of North America (Canada and the U.S.) that seems to bring out the Melvilles and Lovecrafts of the world. Weird. So I place this book within the gothic chapter of the Atlantic, where fog covers treacherous shoals and madness breeds within shuttered homes. There's a reason the sun decides to set in the West, folks. Circa 1910-1911, the protagonist of this story makes a living by selling his own bird illustrations while living in a remote village of the Newfoundland territory (still governed by Britain). He lives with his parents, who don't really seem to be "one", and he sleeps with the local slag. He introduces us to the Witless Bay villagers, who meet the hardness of isolated life with their own peculiarities. Within the first paragraph of the story, we know the main character has killed someone, so the rest of the book is there to explain the why.The writing was enjoyable and it was interesting to read about the nutbuckets on that side of the world. My issue is that I simply had no connection to Fabian Vas, the narrator. He doesn't have any get-up-and-go of his own, allowing others to make decisions for him. Even Hamlet had a plan, but not this guy. Drove me crazy. Instead, I looked forward to the descriptions of the birds and the villagers. Perhaps, the vastness of the cold North makes it difficult to exceed one's limitations. Again, nice writing and it did make me want to see Newfoundland. But, but, but...fortress of solitude.Book Season = Winter (icy waves)
—GoldGato
Storytelling lives here. Set in Newfoundland, the tale centers on Fabian Vas, who, it is clear from a very early age, is a gifted artist with a penchant for drawing birds. In the first paragraph we learn that he murdered a lighthouse keeper. The rest is about getting to that. This is a very engaging read, with interesting, quirky characters in an unusual place, that seems somehow quite familiar, any American small town uprooted and dropped on a rocky northern Canadian Atlantic coast and left to simmer for a few generations. His girlfriend, Margaret Handle, might be considered sluttish, and is by some of the characters. Her father is a crusty fellow who delivers mail by boat on rounds that are measured in days not hours. Fabian’s mother carries on an affair while his father is out of town on business. A prudish reverend, an unforgiving long-distance art teacher. All play roles in the unfolding tale. A page turner, with warmth and beauty in the writing. It made me want to seek out more works by this author.
—Will Byrnes
