Customer Reviews

Bird in Hand: A Novel

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The thing about Bird in Hand is it's so darn page-turning GOOD! It rises far beyond a story of four people and two marriages to explore how our stories, our pasts, and our smallest gestures reveal who we are and what we need --without ever sermonizing. And it reveals how each loss -- no matter how searing -- always carries within it the the possibility of a new life.

Christina Baker Kline (how have I not read her before? That's going to be rectified!) focuses on four individuals: Alison, a suburban mother of two who is losing her bearings after a tragic accident that was not her fault and her husband Charlie, who has gradually absented himself from the marriage because of his obsession with her best friend. That friend is Claire, a flighty femme fatale and a debut author who's married to Ben, a kind and meticulous Harvard-educated architect.

It could be the stuff of melodrama...but in Kline's capable hands, it is not. In one telling passage, Kline writes about Claire, "It wasn't like Claire had fallen out of love with Ben...it as more like she had drifted, the way you do on a plastic float in a pool with your eyes closed, moving away from the edge without realizing it..." All of these characters in their own way are drifting. They are all living false lives -- some without even realizing it -- and going through the motions.

Each of these characters are flesh and blood people, complete with back story that reveals how they came to be who they are and why they make the choices they do. Whether it's Alison breathing in the aloe-scented baby wipes and antibacterial ointment she puts on her young toddler's finger or Ben doing his crossword puzzles to avoid the anxiety of building emotional chaos...whether it's Charlie who wakes up flooded with relief that Alison's parents have arrived, temporarily absolving him from dealing with his wife's mounting guilt and grief or Claire who is dredging up the well of her past in her "fictionalized" book debut, these are people who could be our neighbors...or could be you and me.

Ultimately, the characters realizing that "in the fear of losing what you had, you are left with something startling: a depth of empathy, a quivering sensitity to the world around you, and the unexpected blessing of gratitude for what remains." It would be easy to turn this book into a story of "good guys and bad guys." But this is an adult book about a world that is often complex. How well it works!

I felt that the promo write-ups were a bit misleading--this isn't Alison's story--the story of the wronged wife whose life falls apart one evening--at least it is just barely that--the accident is the McGuffin that sets in motion the story.

Alison IS the Bird in Hand of the story. Her husband "settled" for her when he could not have another--the "two in the bush." Now he is having an affair with her estranged best friend from childhood, who has written a novel cum memoir about their growing up together. The story gives us insights into all of the players in this love quadrangle -- the wives and husbands of the pair having the affair, as well as the pair having the affair. Some come off more sympathetically than others. Perhaps the ending is a bit too pat, [partial spoiler alert] with the "wronged" parties rather easily coming to rights and the wronging parties getting their just desserts, but it does follow from the way the story was set up.

The pacing and writing make for a nice read and the insights are excellent--Maya Angelou would approve.

This book excelled at revealing the smallest nuances of feelings, denials, projections, and regrets that we all feel, especially in times of betrayal, whether one is the betrayer or the betrayed. We see into the hearts of each of the four major characters and wonder at how each one can be so blind to his/her own misperceptions and to those of the people closest to them. And yet all these insights do ring true as reflections of the human condition.

The structure of the novel is a bit confusing as it moves back and forth from the past to the present, despite the rather obvious hints of different fonts for past and present, and dates given at the start of chapters that relate past events. As one reads on, the time line becomes clearer, but it remains a bit shadowy. The book is also divided into five parts, each part being introduced by a profound bit of verse or a quotation that presumably relates to what follows. I had a bit of difficulty connecting the sentiment of the quotations with any obvious segmentation of the book, but perhaps that was exacerbated by the past-present switching.

I agree with one of the other reviewers that the plot set-up of the car accident didn't really work to explain the psychological crisis that Alison undergoes afterward. She truly is not to blame for the death of the child, despite her blood alcohol level being slightly above what's legal for driving. In fact, the parents' failure to stop at a stop sign and to have their child safely secured in his car seat in the back seat are all too obvious as the causes. Nevertheless, Alison begins a rapid descent into guilt-fueled depression and withdrawal, not that she was perfectly balanced before the accident. In fact, she resented her children's monopoly of her life, her own retirement from her profession, and her husband's increasing absenteeism. However, she totally misses the signs (and there are plenty) that he is cheating on her, and with her best friend no less. Then, when the accident happens, it seems to be the last straw in an already unfulfilling existence.

Charlie's and Claire's lack of remorse for their deception and betrayal is a bit perplexing. The only reflection that Charlie seems capable of is how he's going to miss the perfect suburban life style that he enjoys with Alison at home taking care of things, and how lucky he is to finally be getting the woman of his dreams, despite the high cost. And Claire comes across as an egocentric author in the first flushes of commercial success, who exploits and manipulates others for her own ends. And now she's decided she wants her best friend's husband instead of her own, even though she didn't want him years before when she could have chosen him over her current husband, Ben. My guess is that she might make a similar decision regarding what she really wants after a few years with Charlie.

Ben, Claire's husband, is perhaps the character I felt the most sympathetic toward. He is a decent, hardworking guy, not given to deeply introspective lapses. Although he's always wanted children and continues to want them, he gives in to Claire's refusal to consider trying again for a child after she has a miscarriage. In the end, he is the one who seems most likely to survive the emotional carnage and go on to a happy life.

Although some other reviewers complained about the non-resolution of the ending, I thought it was perfect and perhaps the most realistic part of the entire book. The fact that it resembled a plot simply running out of steam obscured the sad truth that that's how most divorce dramas end. All in all, I would recommend this book for its insight into the interior lives of modern American yuppies, and for its realistic portrayal of marriage. The author's use of language and her insight into the lives and minds of her characters make the book well worth reading.

bird in hand by Christina Baker Kline tells the story of intertwined couples Charlie and Allison and Ben and Claire. Pretty early on in the book an accident happens that brings the characters to a point of no return. They are forced to deal with the feelings, desires and doubts that they know will completely redefine their lives. The story centers on Allison, the woman with the perfect life. With a pretty successful career under her belt Allison is the quintessential housewife with a loving husband, daughter and son all neatly tucking into their suburban home. However, bet you knew that was coming, the more we start to gaze into her life the more we see the inattentive husband, the almost desperate 'part-time' job and the constant comparison/contrast with her best friend Claire.


In addressing Charlie and Allison's farce of a marriage Kline speaks with an honest voice about the delicate dance partners play in these unfortunate scenarios. It's this honesty that really endeared the characters to me, even the ones I didn't want to like. So much of adult life is made up of the things we don't say, the feelings we don't acknowledge and these things turn into sleeping babies we tiptoe around and avoid every day. We know they're going to wake up but we go through the motions anyway to save those last few moments of quiet. Those last few moments of how things use to be.


I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I whole-heartedly recommend it.

(I received this book through a [...] giveaway. All remarks are my honest opinion.)

"Bird in Hand" is, apparently, Christina Baker Kline's fourth novel and if it's any indication, I'm sorely missing out by not having read the previous three. This is a deftly written novel. She handles uncomfortable--at times heart wrenching--topics with aplomb and her characters are absolutely pitch perfect. I will freely admit to opening the book with lower expectations since, as I admit in this review's title, I'd not been familiar with her work before. However, from the books opening hook straight through the interweaving of the characters journeys the author manages to engage and envelope you. Most surprisingly, I found the story to actually be, in a way, cathartic; we all experience the ebb and flow of love, friendship, trust and passion, and "Bird in Hand" has several moments that capture all that pain and excitement and genuine conflicting desire sublimely.

True to the saying "a bird in hand is worth two in the bush," Charlie finds himself attracted to an engaged woman. Realizing he can't imagine not being a part of Claire's and Ben's lives, he develops a relationship with Claire's lifelong best friend, Alison. Charlie marries Alison and they build a life in the suburbs with two children--a life Ben longs for and a life Charlie never seems comfortable with. After a minor disagreement with Claire, Alison wonders why the rift in her relationship with Claire is so deep. When Alison finds herself in an accident that kills a toddler after downing two martinis at Claire's book release party, she needs the emotional support of her husband, but he is distant and unavailable.

Bird in Hand explores marriage, friendship, discontent and deception. Although it sounds like a soap opera at first glance, it isn't. Kline writes a poignant story of two couples and their discoveries, sacrifices and heartbreak.

In Christina Baker Kline's novel, 'Bird in Hand,' we meet Alison and Charlie, Claire and Ben. We also meet Alison and Charlie's two children Annie and Noah. The reader will learn how these four characters met, their commonalities, as well as their disparities. Theirs is a long friendship, however, with time it seems to have become increasingly strained and distant.

I am not going to provide another lengthy synopsis. Alison goes to a party for Claire [at Charlie's urging], drinks a little more than two blue martinis and gets into an automobile accident while driving home. The other driver ran a stop sign, and his three-year-old son is killed. Alison is riddled with guilt, and she becomes quite depressed. Charlie seems to attempt to be supportive of her while it seems as if Ben and Claire try to help in their own limited ways. Alison's neighbor, Robin, turns out to be an unexpected treasure.

Kline does an excellent job in developing her characters. At times, her construction of these characters is close to brilliant. One moment you detest someone, and then you read about his or her childhood. You begin to understand them and some of their behavior. This book allowed me into a world I see around me although I do not always understand it. It seems to me as if some people -- these characters -- rush into what used to be long-term [if not lifetime] commitments with little thought or analysis as to how their lives will change.

All four characters are flawed. When a marriage is in deep trouble, don't people seek counseling anymore? After all, Ben and Claire live in NYC, and it is a part of the city filled with therapists. As people grow, they change. As they change, they reinvent themselves. However, this does not necessarily indicate the need for betrayal and all the hurt that goes along with this. There was one particular point in this book where I really agreed with Alison's mother. I wanted to whisper in Alison's ear, 'listen to your mother!'

'When something terrible happens, a lifetime of small events and unremarkable decisions, of unresolved anger and unexplored fears, begins to play itself out in ways you least expect.' [Page 245]
Apparently for Ben and Claire, Alison and Charlie, this is so true. However, this novel does provide the reader with a sense of an individual's resiliency to cope with almost anything life deals them. Some people not only cope, they triumph.

I read this compelling and piercing novel in one giant gulp over the weekend. The story layers unfolded with such precision and poignancy and there was so very much that was familiar to me in my own life. Other reviewers have commented that they don't like these characters - their weaknesses and self-absorption. Yet these are the very qualities that make these characters so true to life for me. If we are honest with ourselves, we all struggle with these qualities, particularly in moments of great stress. Kline knows those inner voices and captures them with perfect candor and compassion. Although I too was desperately curious to know just what Claire had written in her own novel about Alison, in the end, it didn't matter since their friendship was destroyed by a much larger betrayal. The storytelling had the suspenseful drive of a mystery, while also offering up the quiet inner reflections and emotions of four very different hearts. My only wish is that the novel had spun out longer, allowing us more time to delve into these characters so as to afford us more opportunities to learn about ourselves. A wonderful book!

Christina Baker Kline has a wonderful ability to express the possibilities that go thru one's mind. This novel focuses on two couples, long time friends, interwoven lives.
Close to one another they truly go along in the path comfortably carved out for them.
Two are accepting, trusting and expecting their lives to progress comfortably, amiably and with trust.
Two are revisiting and discovering what might be a new path for them.
A car accident that ultimately kills a young child begins the branching of the paths for all of them.
Kline wonderfully expresses each of their thought processes as they go along; and somehow makes not only peace with them, but understanding and new direction.
It is not a fairy tale ending, but a true revelation of those who act upon their strongest drive, justify it, despite the consequences.
It also points to the ultimate consequence and realization that we are so much stronger, so much more self-reliant than we would believe.

Alison and Claire met in elementary school and became friends. Clare met Charlie and Ben in London as three American graduate students. When Claire fell in love with Ben, she introduced her pal Charlie to Alison so he would not feel alone. The couples marry and remain friends over the past decade.

Following a book launching party for Claire, Alison drives home only to become involved in a fatal accident not her fault. A mother of two, Alison logically understands she did nothing wring, but her rationale thinking is superseded by her passionate guilt and sadness for the death of the boy in the other vehicle. Charlie is non-supportive of his wife implying she was at fault for drinking two martinis before driving although he puts on a pretense of caring. He has an agenda as he wants her to walk out of their marriage while he plots the end of his beloved Alison's relationship with Ben so he can come out in the open with their affair.

Once readers (especially boomers) get past the similarity in names to the movie Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, BIRD IN HAND is an interesting look at four people heading into middle age. Each of the quartet comes across genuine as snippets and vignettes bring out the back story of the past decade of two friendly couples; while the differing points of view enhance the audience understanding of the apparent destruction of two marriages. The key to this profound family drama is Christina Baker Kline does not moderate from her resolute unwavering glimpse at the end of marriages through the unblinking eyes of the four protagonists turning seemingly into antagonists.

Harriet Klausner