When a boy named Will meets Alice, he can't believe his luck. She's smart, sexy and, much to Will's surprise, in love with him. Alice brings meaning to his urban existence and his McJob. But the course of modern love did never run smooth and soon devotion leads Will to something darker. Elsewhere in the city Helen is an actress. Or she will be one day. For now she finds work as a model. She used to be called Clair, but she wants to be something new and she can be anyone. She's an actress, remember.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
'A darkly stylish comedy of sexual manners ... Killen evokes a grimy world of sexual tension with unerring, uncomfortable accuracy ... Much of The Bird Room's appeal is down to Killen's taut, sharp prose style - not flashy but alternately laconic, melancholy and dryly witty - that gives an edgy, sometimes creepy and very contemporary sense of beauty to the everyday and the banal.' Metro
About the Author
Chris Killen was born in 1981. He currently lives in Manchester. The Bird Room is his first novel.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
depressing, but extremely well written,
This review is from: The Bird Room: A Novel (Paperback)
William is insecure when it comes to his girlfriend Alice. She is beautiful, sexy, and smart while he considers himself a loser. He has doubts she loves him though she insists she does. Will introduces his Alice to his extroverted friend Will the artist.Meanwhile Helen, formerly known as Claire, claims to be an actress although she has never performed; instead she is a model for what increasingly seems to be a carrier in pornography over the net. Will the introverted non-actor looks back as to how his greatest relationship ends while Helen wonders if prostitution is her best bet. This is not an easy read as the profound character driven story line is not just nonlinear, it is all over time with two key subplots starring Will and Helen respectively eventually merging with an unexpected spin. Chris Killian looks deeply into Internet relationships as cyber distance leads to increase isolation from needed personal contact, but instead creates a false sense of bonding in which no one has to give up any part of their soul. The Bird Room is depressing, but extremely well written as the dark side of the cyber communications and relationships are explored. Harriet Klausner
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Perceptive and full of insight,
By
This review is from: Bird Room (Paperback)
The Bird Room follows the uncertain course of love of two separate individuals. Will, who has never had a steady girl, finds love when Alice spends the night and doesn't leave. Claire reinvents herself as Helen, an actress, or so she dreams, in the meantime she'll take what comes.This is a strange yet alluring novel. First impression is it will be a slight and flippant tale, yet it is hard not to be drawn following Will's witty first person narrative. He can't quite believe he is living with a steady girl, but the course of love is never that easy and there are troubles ahead, and Will's solution is far from conventional. Helen's path to potential love is equally unusual, if she chooses to follow it. The two intertwining stories are told with economy, humour and candour, occasionally being quite explicit. What makes Will's story particularly touching perhaps is that it is so very easy to relate to him. He is very ordinary, he lacks confidence, his life is far from perfect, decision do not come easily to him, he is the antithesis of everything he would like to be; which if we are honest with ourselves is perhaps many of us feel at times. He would like to be able to go back and start all over again, avoid all the mistakes, who of us would not like that chance? So we easily identify to him, and consequently his story is all the more touching and ultimately (perhaps?) sad. The Bird Room is not a long novel, it can easily be read in one sitting, yet it is a perceptive story full of insight, one which is bound to make an impression on the reader, to leave one thinking about the nature of relationships, and about oneself.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dark and Twisted,
This review is from: The Bird Room: A Novel (Paperback)
Will is incredibly introverted and self-conscious; more comfortable at home, he quits his job just because he doesn't want to work. Sometimes he forgets what his voice sounds like. Regardless of his awkwardness, he finally finds a girl - Alice. Alice is outgoing, an ultimate force with a cloudy past. Alice loves him, but like most relationships, trouble looms around the bend and its name is also Will (the first Will's best friend). And this trouble puts Will in a place even he never thought he'd go.Meanwhile, Helen (or, Clair - her real name) is an actress, or, she hopes to be someday. For now, to make money, she "acts" and "models" for whoever finds her online profile. Desperate to be more than the Clair she grew up as, she covers up who she is and learns how to act her way through life. The Bird Room is a dark comedic love story that bounces back and forth in time to show how Will and Helen's lives come together. Sharp and funny at times, it's a truthful look at relationships, and how far someone will go to be loved/liked/seen. As Chris Killen's first novel, The Bird Room is a strange and interesting look at the lives of four people. With no exact details given, minus a few physical characteristics, these people can be anyone in a painful look at motivations and life. Killen is incredibly honest and blunt in his writing, not shying away from any topic or thought. I blushed quite a few times when reading. The book is very good, if not jaw dropping at times. It was as if Miranda July wrote Closer and packaged it as a 20-something novel. The characters are jarring. Will (#1) is troubled from the beginning, as he notices his girlfriend's interest start to wander. Not knowing how to react, he shies away and holds on to whatever hope he has. Meanwhile, his best friend Will (#2) is someone EVERYONE knows. That outgoing, lewd, pompous artist-type who isn't incredibly attractive, but manages to get every girl he sets his sights on. In a Will vs. Will battle, it's interesting to see who comes out on top. And although it may sound hard to follow, with two Wills, this only enhances the whole blurred identity theme. On the other side of London is Clair/Helen who's done a number of risque online movies. Just trying to live a glamorous life, she takes what she can and creates intricate scenarios in her mind. Young and fragile, she's like a delicate piece of glass that's constantly falling down the stairs. The characters aren't incredibly likable, and I think that's what interested me most about the book in the end. Regardless of my distaste for them, I still wanted the best for them. I still wanted them to find what they wanted and I think that's Killen's best strength. He makes these dark characters who you really want to hate, but part of you still cheers them on, if only to see them get past what they're dealing with. Because with each dark side has a reason. The book is daunting, yet memorable. Dark, yet funny. It's a fast-paced read that I read in a day. It's a little bit of everything wrapped into one and I'm definitely excited to see what Killen has in store next.
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