Book Review: Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky
Rating: 4.5⭐
“It’s time to tell the truth.”
Sixteen-year-old Margaret Murphy has spent most of her young life haunted by the memories of a tragic episode from her childhood – an event that resulted in the death of her friend Agnes when they were both only four years old. The whispers, the rumors and her mother’s silent judgment would have made Margaret’s reality even more difficult to bear, but Margaret is an imaginative child with a love for fairy tales. The stories she weaves – the alternate realities in which she chooses to live in her own mind, stories with happy endings, help her cope with her trauma. But her respite, of sorts, is short-lived because an unwelcome character “Poor Deer” has found its way into her life and her story, reminding her of all she wants to forget.
Margaret is pushed by Poor Deer, a magical manifestation of her conscience, to confront her past and come to terms with the tragedy that has shaped her life. As Margaret struggles to separate truth from fiction we follow Margaret through the years, the people, places, and events that have led her to the present day – in a hotel room near Niagara Falls, sharing a room with the ever-present Poor Deer and two strangers who just might become a part of her story.
Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky is a compelling work of fiction. The author deftly weaves past and present timelines into a fluid narrative that tells a tale of grief, trauma, guilt and hope that is both deeply emotional and profoundly thought-provoking. The author has done a brilliant job of penning Margaret’s thoughts and emotions as she evolves from a confused four-year-old child to the sixteen-year-old we meet at the beginning of the book from the perspective of present-day Margaret Well-thought-out characters, the fairy-tale/fable-like narrative (with dark overtones) that uses magical realism to depict very realistic and complex human emotions and the author’s sparse, yet evocative prose had me immersed in the story from the very first page.
Margaret is an endearing protagonist and her story is one that will stay with you.
Margaret is pushed by Poor Deer, a magical manifestation of her conscience, to confront her past and come to terms with the tragedy that has shaped her life. As Margaret struggles to separate truth from fiction we follow Margaret through the years, the people, places, and events that have led her to the present day – in a hotel room near Niagara Falls, sharing a room with the ever-present Poor Deer and two strangers who just might become a part of her story.
Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky is a compelling work of fiction. The author deftly weaves past and present timelines into a fluid narrative that tells a tale of grief, trauma, guilt and hope that is both deeply emotional and profoundly thought-provoking. The author has done a brilliant job of penning Margaret’s thoughts and emotions as she evolves from a confused four-year-old child to the sixteen-year-old we meet at the beginning of the book from the perspective of present-day Margaret Well-thought-out characters, the fairy-tale/fable-like narrative (with dark overtones) that uses magical realism to depict very realistic and complex human emotions and the author’s sparse, yet evocative prose had me immersed in the story from the very first page.
Margaret is an endearing protagonist and her story is one that will stay with you.
“And whether I’m about to be the hero of my own story, or the villain, or the sacrificial lamb, or a person of no importance who is forgotten in the end, I won’t know until I’ve come to the final page.”
Many thanks to Ecco for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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