Where the Birds Call Her Name
Claire van Ryn
Broome 2023 we meet Saskia she is married with a nine year old daughter Anouk, she is a teacher she has two younger siblings Violet and Lennon, she has just lost her mother Kiki free spirited and loved but when the will is read Kiki leaves Saskia her beloved caravan no one understands why, but while cleaning the van out Saskia finds a ticket for the ferry that crosses Bass Strait to Tasmania and her journal, soon Saskia and Anouk are taking a road trip towards Tasmania to uncover her mother’s mysterious past, not knowing what she will uncover.
Stanley, Tasmania 1968 Greta De Winter is sixteen years old her mother is a taxidermist and her father a local councillor Greta is drawn to what she and locals call the swamp but is the wetlands that creates the perfect environment for the animal life particularly the birds and Greta holds a passion for them. Her mother works on a diorama for the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, but inside the home of the De Winter family things are not what is seems. Things change dramatically when Greta does her best to save the wetlands.
When Saskia and Anouk arrive in Stanley they search for anything that will uncover her mother’s past and what they find makes Saskia think more about not only her parents but also herself is this the trip that she needed to find herself?
What a gorgeous story this one was the beautiful setting the wonderful characters and the wildlife that is bought to life on the pages, long held secrets are uncovered as the author takes her readers on this beautiful journey told in two timelines, it is a story that is evocative and haunting and one that I would highly recommend.
My thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.
Stanley, Tasmania 1968 Greta De Winter is sixteen years old her mother is a taxidermist and her father a local councillor Greta is drawn to what she and locals call the swamp but is the wetlands that creates the perfect environment for the animal life particularly the birds and Greta holds a passion for them. Her mother works on a diorama for the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, but inside the home of the De Winter family things are not what is seems. Things change dramatically when Greta does her best to save the wetlands.
When Saskia and Anouk arrive in Stanley they search for anything that will uncover her mother’s past and what they find makes Saskia think more about not only her parents but also herself is this the trip that she needed to find herself?
What a gorgeous story this one was the beautiful setting the wonderful characters and the wildlife that is bought to life on the pages, long held secrets are uncovered as the author takes her readers on this beautiful journey told in two timelines, it is a story that is evocative and haunting and one that I would highly recommend.
My thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.
5 stars
March 4, 2025 by Penguin Random House Australia
