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“You're my fate
By Claire Oshetsky
and you're my dire necessity. You're my refuge when I'm lost, and losing you would kill me. Your flights and falls are dreamlike and perfect and I'm blessed to be the one to witness them.”
26 • Benicia Magazine
n
Cooper Mickelson
This novel was one of my many impulsive book purchases inspired by a beautiful cover. I skimmed the synopsis on my way to the register, and the mention of an "owl-baby" was intriguing enough to convince me it was worth buying. I'm a proud dog and cat mom, but since I don't have any human children of my own, I was worried that I wouldn't connect to or completely understand this novel. Although I'm sure mothers will get even more out of Chouette than I did, I still found it an intense and creative look into the emotions that come with every step of birthing and raising a child. Tiny is pregnant, and her husband could not be more thrilled, but this is in no way a normal pregnancy. Instead, Tiny is expecting an "owl-baby," conceived from a secret rendezvous with a female "owllover." However, her husband believes
Tiny is just experiencing pregnancy jitters and that their child will be born perfectly normal. When Chouette is born small and with broken wings, Tiny devotes all of her time to meeting her daughter's needs. With a child more predator than baby, she vows to raise Chouette to be her genuine and authentic self. Even when Chouette's behavior turns violent and bizarre, Tiny's love and commitment to her daughter never falters. Eventually, Tiny's husband forces Chouette into starting a treatment that will "cure" her, and Tiny is required to make a huge decision: Should her daughter be raised to fit in or be herself? Chouette is Claire Oshetsky's first novel, and it succeeded in making me an immediate fan. It feels like a dark, feminist fairytale with just a touch of suburban gothic. Oshetsky describes
