Review: Catching Teller Crow
Title: Catching Teller Crow
Author: Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Date Published: 1 September 2018
Goodreads Description: Nothing’s been the same for Beth Teller since she died. Her dad, a detective, is the only one who can see and hear her – and he’s drowning in grief. But now they have a mystery to solve together. Who is Isobel Catching, and what’s her connection to the fire that killed a man? What happened to the people who haven’t been seen since the fire? As Beth unravels the mystery, she finds a shocking story lurking beneath the surface of a small town, and a friendship that lasts beyond one life and into another.
Told in two unforgettable voices, this gripping novel weaves together themes of grief, colonial history, violence, love and family.
I was given a free copy by Penguin Books South Africa in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
General Thoughts
Catching Teller Crow is a beautiful book. The writing is beautiful and lyrical and pulls you right in. Normally I’m not a fan of lyrical writing, but this one was just amazing. The story is heartbreaking in every way. The book is only 200 pages, but it is in no way a light read. It deals with some dark themes and a lot of grief.
There are two POVs in Catching Teller Crow and both add multiple layers. Catching’s chapters have an element of magical realism to them that I wasn’t expecting, but in the end, everything is brought together and makes sense.
I loved reading this story, my only complaint is I would have liked to know more about Crow and the aboriginals of Australia. Other than that, this was a quick, amazing read.
Characters
As mentioned previously, we get chapters from Beth Teller and from Catching, the two main characters of the story. Catching’s chapters are more lyrical and in poetry format, and Beth’s is in normal story format.
The chapters flow beautifully and we get to know both girls through two different writing mediums. There was a lot of depth to both characters and I’m happy with how things ended for them.
Let’s Chat
Have you read Catching Teller Crow? What did you think?
Glad you liked this book.
Great review. I’m not always a lover of dual/multi POV books. Glad you enjoyed it.
This one sounds intense
Sounds like it would be difficult for me to read.
This one sounds like a heavier read. Excellent review.
Seems like a really interesting story! I think I’d like the fantasy/paranormal elements of this story.
sounds like one i would love to read;; poor TBR. 🙂
Great review!