Review: Raven Girl by Audrey Niffenegger

Raven Girl
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Genre: Fairy Tale
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Abrams

Description:

Once there was a Postman who fell in love with a Raven.

So begins the tale of a postman who encounters a fledgling raven while on the edge of his route and decides to bring her home. The unlikely couple falls in love and conceives a child — an extraordinary raven girl trapped in a human body. The raven girl feels imprisoned by her arms and legs and covets wings and the ability to fly. Betwixt and between, she reluctantly grows into a young woman, until one day she meets an unorthodox doctor who is willing to change her.

One of the world’s most beloved storytellers has crafted a dark fairy tale full of wonderment and longing. Complete with Audrey Niffenegger’s bewitching etchings and paintings, Raven Girl explores the bounds of transformation and possibility. 

Raven Girl is a strange short story that feels like a fairy tale. The story tells the tale of a Postman who finds a baby raven one day on his route. He proceeds to take her home with him, cares for her, and they eventually fall in love. Soon after they are married (enter weirdness), the raven lays an egg that continues to grow and grow. When it's time for the egg to hatch, a human girl emerges from the shell. (More weirdness.) The girl grows up and although she is human in appearance, she speaks in caws like a raven. She also feels like she has been born into the wrong body and she really is meant to have the body of a raven. The girl, who is known only as Raven Girl, grows up and attends university, where she finds a doctor who agrees to give her surgery to turn her arms into wings. (Even more weirdness.) In true fairy tale form, the story ends with a happily ever after.
 
This was a really odd and kind of creepy fairy tale that definitely reaches the edge of one's imagination. Parts of it had me wondering what the heck was going on - like the part where the man and the raven have an egg/baby together. Weird. The story itself was well written and I was fascinated enough to keep reading to see what would happen to the Raven Girl. Luckily there's a happy ending and I honestly didn't know if there would be one. Among the pages of the short story are dark and strange illustrations. They are mostly of the Raven Girl, although they follow along with the story. All of the drawings are dark with little to no color in them and only a couple show happy scenes from the story. This was definitely a book that I wasn't expecting from the description, but I'm glad I got to experience it. It's not for everyone, but those who do find that type of fiction appealing will love it's gothic feel and strange fairy tale telling.