All the Birds, Singing  Evie Wyld

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‘Another sheep, mangled and bled out, her innards not yet crusting and the vapours rising from her like a steamed pudding.  Crows, their beaks shining, strutting and rasping, and when I waved my stick they flew to the trees and watched, flaring out their wings singing, if you could call it that.  I shoved my boot in Dog’s face to stop him from taking a string of her away with him as a souvenir, and he kept close by my side as I wheeled the carcass out of the field and down to the woodshed.’

 

That is the opening paragraph to All the Birds, Singing and if that isn’t enough to tempt you to this book then it’s not for you.  It captured me straight away and fell in love with Evie Wyld’s descriptive writing talents.  This is a tale of a very flawed woman, a darkness that follows her around the world and the story of her inner strength coupled with fierce independence in a Man’s world.  A world she chooses to be in.

I read this book in record time and was gripped with the storyline and felt each character was so well rounded out I had very strong mental images of who they all were and what they looked liked, as well as some bang on observations of the Australian and English landscapes.  There are a few story lines here, at first you are led one way, then, as Jake’s past begins to reveal itself a little more in each chapter, you are lead down a completely different path.  This is one of those books that I feel would transition into a cracking movie.

There are more than a couple of loose ends and intrigue as you turn to the last page, and if you like your brain to do some work and wonder ‘what happened’.  This is certainly a book you should pick up.  A thoroughly enjoyable read.