But this book made me smile and and cry and I was under the spell of its beauty the entire time I read it. I don’t want to delve too much further into this story here, because I don’t want to give anything away.

Until Zoey arrives, and shakes things up in her own sweet way. It has been a sheltering comfort for those that live there, hidden behind the main street that smells of sugar, with its special birds that exist only there, in that one place. They each have their own stories, the stories that have defined them up until now, full of love and love lost, full of shadows with rays of light. There is Charlotte, a bohemian spirit and henna artist, Mac, a James Beard award winning chef who is known for his use of cornmeal, the Lime sisters who maintain separate apartments and don’t interact, and Frasier, the caretaker. Her character’s life was not all roses all the time, but she is filled with optimism and fun that is hard to deny. She moves into The Dellawisp hoping to learn more about her deceased mother, but is also looking for community, for a sense of belonging, friendship, and she is determined that the residents of The Dellawisp will become that for her. Zoey is filled with youthful enthusiasm, dreams, and gumption. I loved it so much! Just everything about it, every detail, every character, every surprise revealed, was perfect. Sarah Addison Allen shows us that between the real and the imaginary, there are stories that take flight in the most extraordinary ways. To find their way they have to learn how to trust each other, confront their deepest fears, and let go of what haunts them.ĭelightful and atmospheric, Other Birds is filled with magical realism and moments of pure love that won’t let you go. She soon discovers that many unfinished stories permeate the place, and the people around her are in as much need of healing from wrongs of the past as she is. When one of her new neighbors dies under odd circumstances the night Zoey arrives, she is thrust into the mystery of The Dellawisp, which involves missing pages from a legendary writer whose work might be hidden there. When Zoey Hennessey comes to claim her deceased mother’s apartment at The Dellawisp, she meets her quirky, enigmatic neighbors including a girl on the run, a grieving chef whose comfort food does not comfort him, two estranged middle-aged sisters, and three ghosts. It’s called The Dellawisp and it is named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy.

Martins Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.ĭown a narrow alley in the small coastal town of Mallow Island, South Carolina, lies a stunning cobblestone building comprised of five apartments.