Chouette by Claire Oshetsky: Reviews

Chouette was longlisted for the 2022 Pen/Faulkner Award for Fiction, and it won the 2022 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing. 

“It would not surprise me if Chouette finds a place in the feminist literary canon. It has lingered in my mind in a way that only the most original works do. In its exploration of difference – of disability, of queerness – it feels truly modern, but in its themes of love and sacrifice, it is the oldest tale in the world.” — Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, The Guardian

“Searing and ethereal…. [Chouette focuses] squarely on Tiny’s fierce love as she battles her husband and nature to allow Chouette to be wild and exact, stakes that feel frightening and true to life…. A harrowing and magnificent fable.” — New York Times Book Review

“Oshetsky’s book is surrealism at its best…Chouette, which abounds with humor and lush imagery, forces parents to consider their relationship with their children…. The book has deep and universal resonance.” — Thaisa Frank, San Francisco Chronicle

“Weirdly funny and bold, this novel will make you look at maternal sacrifice in a new way.” — Real Simple

“By turns poetic, gory, heartbreaking and strange…. An engrossing, surreal portrayal of motherhood.” — NPR

This wildly imagined debut presents a parable of maternal love unlike any other you'll have encountered . . . Dark wit, tenderness, music, enchantment - they're all part of a story that remains oddly relatable despite its dazzling strangeness.—The Observer

Oshetsky's writing is virtuosic, laced with dry humor, and perfectly matched to the parable she unfolds…A fever dream of a novel that will enchant fans of contemporary fabulism. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)