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Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky is a Blend of Literary Fiction and Magical Realism!

Margaret Murphy is a four-year-old child who experiences the tragic loss of Agnes, her best friend. Her mother forbids her to talk about what happened that day. She insists to Margaret and all who will listen that her daughter was home with her, inside the house, that entire day.

But Margaret feels the whispers swirling around her and now she's forced to keep that day hidden away.

And, so begins Margaret's journey from creating her own written language and making up stories that only have happy endings, to meeting the thing that crouches in corners and taunts her, Poor Deer...

I love Oshetsky's debut novel Chouette for its creativity, uniqueness, and brilliance. Its noisiness caught my attention and its boldness captured me completely.

Poor Deer feels much softer, quieter, and more reflective. Yet it's a sad, somewhat shocking, and mesmerizing story with simple beautiful writing and storytelling that is thoughtful, thought-provoking, and at times, holds a shadow of darkness.

I enjoyed traveling the many pathways of Margaret's story where the lines become blurred between real and imagined. It does have a fairy tale quality to it, but it also offers lessons of an allegory about understanding, forgiving, and embracing the child within us. My heart did ache for poor dear, Margaret.

Poor Deer is the essence of what a five-star read is for me. Original. Creative. Different. I now know that when I begin reading a book by Claire Oshetsky, it's an opportunity to feel the joy of letting my imagination fly. I highly recommend this book!

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Thank you to NetGalley, Ecco, and Claire Oshetsky for an ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.