Summary:
The book follows Mira's entire life, from her birth all the way to her death. It is centered around her relationships with her father and Annie. The book explores the concept of obsessive love through Mira and her father, adulthood/independence through Mira's inability to escape her father's nests, and love through Mira and Annie. The author Sheila weaves in concepts of spirituality and non-physical objects (in other words, souls) to beautifully craft a story of how we exist in God's first draft of existence and how our souls can enter another loved one after we die.
- "People born from the bird egg are interested in beauty, order, harmony and meaning... People born from a fish egg appear in a flotation of jelly, and this jelly contains hundreds of thousands of eggs, where the most important thing is not any individual egg, but the condition of the many... A person born from a bear egg is like a child holding on to their very best doll." (Pg. 4-5)
This is one of the beginning passages of the book, but it sums up the story's characters. The bird is Mira with her interest in the abstract world of art and the beauty she sees in this, even though critics are taught to be more judgemental. The fish is Annie, as she wants to help as many people as she can later in life. The bear is Mira's father, who shelters Mira too much and is obsessive towards her (not explicitly stated, but I think it can be implied).
Review:
This is one of the most beautifully written books I have read so far. It was full of imagery, and all of the images were original (not cliche). I felt like I went on a spiritual journey (even though I'm unsure of my own spirituality), and the book was so healing, even though it dealt with the harsh realities of life. It made me appreciate the relationships I have with people around me and really opened my mind up to accept the fact that some of those core people will become the center of my life; they will be the ones I talk about on my deathbed and hopefully think back on the memories I make with them.