Why read Brood?

Book cover of Brood

Book description

An exquisite new literary voice—wryly funny, nakedly honest, beautifully observational, in the vein of Jenny Offill and Elizabeth Strout—depicts one woman's attempt to keep her four chickens alive while reflecting on a recent loss.

“Full of nuance and humor and strangeness…[Polzin] writes beautifully about everything.” —The New York Times
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Women's fiction

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Why read it?

1 author picked Brood as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Jane Hamilton

Author

This beautiful short novel about various matters, including chickens, house cleaning, idiosyncratic neighbors and parents, is funny—really, how can you not laugh at a hen named Miss Hennepin Country. (Her owners live in Minnesota.)

Also, the novel goes to the heart of the grief of infertility. At the same time, Jackie Polzin is very, very funny in a remarkably quiet way. Her writing is spare, eloquent, and precise. She is, as we say in the biz, The Real Deal. I can open this book at any page and marvel and be filled with happiness.

From Jane's list on The best books that are sad but funny and qualify as bummer literature but are so great they make the reader feel joyful.