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The Go-Away Bird
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‘FitzGerald writes about Africa vividly, painting interior scenes and green tropical landscapes that jump out of the page…it is a funny, musical, hopeful and poignant story.’ CAPE TIMES
‘It is hard to believe this is Warren FitzGerald's first novel, so sure is his hand and so powerful the book.’ MAIL & GUARDIAN
Review
'FitzGerald writes about Africa vividly, painting interior scenes and green tropical landscapes that jump out of the page. He may do for Rwanda something of what Alexander McCall Smith's lady detective series has done for Botswana!it is a funny, musical, hopeful and poignant story.' CAPE TIMES 'It is hard to believe this is Warren FitzGerald's first novel, so sure is his hand and so powerful the book.' MAIL & GUARDIAN
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
1994 - London: Ashley Bolt lives alone in a seedy part of London, deals drugs and cuts himself, he harms himself. Ashley teaches singing.
Rwanda - Clementine Habimama witnesses the genocide, Hutu's are 'cutting' Tutsi's with machetes, harming their country, harming themselves, changing themselves forever. Clementine loves to sing.
I admit that the subject matter does not make it an easy read, genocide and self-harming are both emotive subjects that most peple try to avoid thinking about. How can friends and neighbours suddenly become enemies and kill each other? How can someone frequently slice themselves with a knife? Yes, it is harrowing at times but I was carried along by the narrative and I really did care about the fate of Ashley (in spite of his defects I found him easy to warm to), and Clementine (you would have to be really heartless not to want to give her a hug). It made me think how fortunate I am to have been born in the UK and to have had a happy childhood, free from abuse - and I defy anyone reading this novel not think in this way.
The first half allows the reader into the lives of the dual narrators before they meet. How, for Clementine the beauty and peace of her country is destroyed and turned into a blood bath. Ashley's story describes how and why he self harms, his life London with a small group of friends including Lola, a transvestite singing pupil and Levi a young 'thug'. Clementine's early childhood was filled with love, Ashley's with abuse. The narratives connect, sometimes in subtle ways others more obvious and this is worth looking out for.
Then they meet through the shared love of singing and their lives change forever as their friendship grows.
If you have enjoyed books like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mr Pip, The Other Hand, Brixton Beach or The Kite Runner then please try this one. I am glad that I have and it is one of those books that I know I will never forget. I predict prize nominations for this one.
Rwanda - Clementine Habimama witnesses the genocide, Hutu's are 'cutting' Tutsi's with machetes, harming their country, harming themselves, changing themselves forever. Clementine loves to sing.
I admit that the subject matter does not make it an easy read, genocide and self-harming are both emotive subjects that most peple try to avoid thinking about. How can friends and neighbours suddenly become enemies and kill each other? How can someone frequently slice themselves with a knife? Yes, it is harrowing at times but I was carried along by the narrative and I really did care about the fate of Ashley (in spite of his defects I found him easy to warm to), and Clementine (you would have to be really heartless not to want to give her a hug). It made me think how fortunate I am to have been born in the UK and to have had a happy childhood, free from abuse - and I defy anyone reading this novel not think in this way.
The first half allows the reader into the lives of the dual narrators before they meet. How, for Clementine the beauty and peace of her country is destroyed and turned into a blood bath. Ashley's story describes how and why he self harms, his life London with a small group of friends including Lola, a transvestite singing pupil and Levi a young 'thug'. Clementine's early childhood was filled with love, Ashley's with abuse. The narratives connect, sometimes in subtle ways others more obvious and this is worth looking out for.
Then they meet through the shared love of singing and their lives change forever as their friendship grows.
If you have enjoyed books like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mr Pip, The Other Hand, Brixton Beach or The Kite Runner then please try this one. I am glad that I have and it is one of those books that I know I will never forget. I predict prize nominations for this one.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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This novel takes genocide and self-harm as its main topics - and you can bet that that's not an easy combination for any novelist - but Warren FitzGerald has done a brilliant job of making it come together in a way that is funny and thought-provoking as well as harrowing. This novel isn't the easiest of reading in some ways, as you might guess from the subject matter, but it is engaging and a good read.
The Go-Away Bird is set in 1994 and is narrated by two people - Ashley Bolt, a music teacher living alone and self-harming regularly, and Clementine Habimama, who lives in a flat above and has just come from Rwanda where she witnessed genocide and lost her family. The first half of the novel introduces us to each of the narrators separately. The second half of the novel is about what happens when they meet. The scale of Ashley's problems (living in a semi-squalid flat, his disfunctional family and unhappy childhood memories, and his feeling of failure) pales in comparison to the troubles of the small child he discovers sobbing in the stairwell. Yet, in their odd ways, both learn from the others.
I've seen this novel compared to Mister Pip by Loyd Jones, and I can see how there are some similarities. I found The Go-Away Bird fascinating. I didn't think that all of it was brilliantly written, but it's really unique in how delicately and subtly it deals with such an incredibly difficult and emotive topic like genocide. A tough, special read.
The Go-Away Bird is set in 1994 and is narrated by two people - Ashley Bolt, a music teacher living alone and self-harming regularly, and Clementine Habimama, who lives in a flat above and has just come from Rwanda where she witnessed genocide and lost her family. The first half of the novel introduces us to each of the narrators separately. The second half of the novel is about what happens when they meet. The scale of Ashley's problems (living in a semi-squalid flat, his disfunctional family and unhappy childhood memories, and his feeling of failure) pales in comparison to the troubles of the small child he discovers sobbing in the stairwell. Yet, in their odd ways, both learn from the others.
I've seen this novel compared to Mister Pip by Loyd Jones, and I can see how there are some similarities. I found The Go-Away Bird fascinating. I didn't think that all of it was brilliantly written, but it's really unique in how delicately and subtly it deals with such an incredibly difficult and emotive topic like genocide. A tough, special read.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There are so many facets to this book, one of which is the great 'soundtrack' that takes you back to 1994 when the book is set. Many songs of the era are well evoked by the author via Ashley Bolt, the main character in the 'London half' of the book. Music is the magic that bonds Ashley and the other (Rwandan) protagonist, Clementine. Such different characters from backgrounds alien to each other's find common ground, even salvation, in singing, and eventually salvation in each other.
This is an intensely moving book. You are likely to cry, but you are likely to laugh a lot too. It educates, but above all it is a great story that's hard to put down.
The voices of the characters are authentic and easy to read. An easy read, however, doesn't mean it isn't profound, and the complex parallels, contrasts and comparisons you can draw between the London and Rwandan chapters are hugely enlightening. If this is the debut, I cannot wait to see what Fitzgerald delivers next. 5/5!
This is an intensely moving book. You are likely to cry, but you are likely to laugh a lot too. It educates, but above all it is a great story that's hard to put down.
The voices of the characters are authentic and easy to read. An easy read, however, doesn't mean it isn't profound, and the complex parallels, contrasts and comparisons you can draw between the London and Rwandan chapters are hugely enlightening. If this is the debut, I cannot wait to see what Fitzgerald delivers next. 5/5!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Sorry to disagree - this book was not for me!
I bought this book based on the reviews I read on Amazon. I'm not a fan of fiction but was intrigued by the storyline. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Tututallulah
Gripping
An excellent book. It's not a difficult read in a literary sense but it is certainly uncomfortable and even shocking in its subject matter. Still, I found it compelling. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mrs B
A book of two parts
This book is set in 1994 at the time of the Rwandan Genocide. The story alternates between two disfunctional societies, Rwanda where the Hutus are murdering the Tutsis; and a... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Noel
Stay with it, and you'll be richly rewarded
Imagine a Y on its side, open end on the left. Or a South African flag. That's the outline of The Go Away Bird, a novel by Warren Fitzgerald. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Richard Beddard
An astounding debut - can't wait for the next Warren FitzGerald novel.
The great thing about the internet is that you can research almost anything. A third of the way through THE GO-AWAY BIRD I wanted - no needed - to find out more about the subject... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Steven Jones
Very nearly 5 stars
After an 'iffy' start I really got into this book and couldn't put it down. I even got to like the character of Ashley who was far from endearing in the early chapters. Read more
Published 22 months ago by DubaiReader
Humbling
This book made me feel lucky for what I have around me. Thank you author for making me think about the hardships that some people have had in their lives and how fortunate I am. Read more
Published 23 months ago by CJ
A touching and accessible read
The Go Away Bird is a touching and accessible read. Initially it's hard to see how the stories of the two main characters, from such different worlds can coincide within the same... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Erin's Ma
An easy read that packs a punch
This book is a great read - easy to read, it's a compelling page turner, fantastic characters who you want to spend time with, it's funny but it's also an intelligent and revealing... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Goldstar
In the presence of greatness
Its the most delicious feeling when within just a few pages of a book you realise that you are in for the longhaul and won't be able to put the book down. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Mrs. K. E. Noonan
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