The Boy with a Bird in His Chest: A Novel

(Hardback)

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Longlisted for The Center for Fiction 2022 First Novel Prize

A modern coming-of-age full of love, desperation, heartache, and magic (Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prizewinning author) about the ways in which family, grief, love, queerness, and vulnerability all intersect (Kristen Arnett, New York Times bestselling author). Perfect for fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Thirty Names of Night.

Though Owen Tanner has never met anyone else who has a chatty bird in their chest, medical forums would call him a Terror. From the moment Gail emerged between Owens ribs, his mother knew that she had to hide him away from the world. After a decade spent in hiding, Owen takes a brazen trip outdoors in the middle of a forest fire, and his life is upended forever.

Suddenly, Owen is forced to flee the home that had once felt so confining and hide in plain sight with his uncle and cousin in Washington. There, he feels the joy of finding a family among friends; of sharing the bird in his chest and being embraced fully; of falling in love and feeling the devastating heartbreak of rejection before finding a spark of happiness in the most unexpected place; of living his truth regardless of how hard the thieves of joy may try to tear him down. But the threat of the Army of Acronyms is a constant, looming presence, making Owen wonder if hell ever find a way out of the cycle of fear.

A heartbreaking yet hopeful novel about the things that make us unique and lovable, The Boy with a Bird in His Chest grapples with the fear, depression, and feelings of isolation that come with believing that we will never be loved, let alone accepted, for who we truly are, and learning to live fully and openly regardless.

Reviews

Lundhascreated a fable for our age: a modern coming of age full of love, desperation,heartache and magic. An honest celebration of life andeverything we need rightnow in a book. -- Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of Less
Emme Lunds The Boy with a Bird in His Chest is a beautiful, tender book. I was deeply moved by this story; very caught up in the ways in which family, grief, love, queerness, and vulnerability all intersect. Lundssentences are sweet and stick to yourribs. I found myself falling in love with these charactersthese messy, deeply realized, fullylovable, and wonderfully human people. The Boy with a Bird in His Chest is a terrific first novel and Emme Lund is a profoundly giftedwriter. -- Kristen Arnett, New York Times bestselling author of Mostly Dead Things and With Teeth
The Boy with a Bird in His Chest is a beautiful and atmospheric allegory for what we hide in the world, executed with tense lyricism. -- Christine Hyung-Oak Lee, author of Tell Me Everything You Dont Remember
Emme Lunds The Boy with a Bird in His Chest is the queer coming-of-age novel I wish Id had when I was a teenager. Funny and gutting, tender and scorchingly honest, surreal and a little too real, this novel captures the pain and joy of learning to live with your body and all its desires. The Boy with a Bird in His Chest reads like The Perks of Being a Wallflowers written by Kelly Link. Lunds vision is striking, resonant, and unforgettable. -- Isle McElroy, author of The Atmospherians, a New York Times Editors' Choice
Lunds accomplished debut imagines an LGBTQ allegory with a blend of magical fantasy and stark reality. [. . .]Lunds emotive prose treats Owens burgeoning development with grace and care. This fine effort succeeds at bringing new life to the coming-of-age story. * Publishers Weekly *
Alovely piece of magical realism . . . the strangeness sets it apart from other coming-of-age stories. Embrace magic and suspend your disbelief and this novel may just take you on a beautiful, necessary journey. * Kirkus Reviews *
The burden of living with a secret is poignantly rendered and illuminating for those who seek to understand living a life outside the ordinary. * The Washington Post *
Emme Lund has managed to capture so many of these feelings and weave them naturally in a story about a boy with a bird in his chest. * Porter House Review *
Lunds brilliant debut is unlike any other coming-of-age out there [...] This is an unputdownable and weirdly relatable book readers wont want to miss. * Debutiful *
Lunds debut novel is a tender bildungsroman that deals honestly with magic, love, grace, and fear. * Alta *

Author Bio

Emme Lund is an author living and writing in Portland, Oregon. She has an MFA from Mills College. Her work has appeared in Electric Literature, Time, The Rumpus, Autostraddle, and many more. In 2019, she was awarded an Oregon Literary Arts Fellowship in Fiction. The Boy with a Bird in His Chest is her first novel. Visit EmmeLund.net for more information.