Jessica Zimmer's Reviews > The Crane Husband

Interesting But Ultimately Unsatisfying - 2.5

This is a difficult one to rate. If I were allowed a more nuanced system, I'd give it 2.5 stars, maybe even 2.75. I typically don't read novellas, as they're almost always too short for my taste. This is, unfortunately, part of my problem with The Crane Husband.

My main issue with the story is: it feels like so much interesting world development was simply left to rot. The book is - as far as I can tell - set in a dystopian future not too far from our own world. Farming has been completely consumed by corporations. And it's become a job of button pushing rather than bothering to touch the earth with our bare hands. This happened over generations, though we're not privy to any of the details. If it weren't for the mention of drones and computers, this could've been during the Great Depression.

There's so much to wonder about the world around our nameless protagonist. While I'm somewhat annoyed by her lack of a name, I very much connected with the main character. With her father gone, and her mother in her own world, it's up to Girl to raise her younger brother (and the only named character) Michael. I feel like Girl's skills were well built-up, thanks to the backstory with her father, and I would have liked to know more about him.

I also have many many questions that are left unanswered.

Why do all mothers have to leave?
Who says so?
What does this say about artists who are mothers, and mothers who are also artists?
Who was the mother before this, and why was the Dad her tether?

Having reread the original for this review, I find myself irked by the inclusion of child abuse, neglect, and parental abandonment. Why bring in all those ideas, which *are* interesting and *are* worth exploring, if they're only going to be wasted?

Barnhill seemed to want to churn up the readers emotions by bringing farming, greed, sex, abuse, and abandonment all to the table, but only had the fortitude to resolve a small section of the chaos she created.

Sure, Girl succeeds in killing the Crane, but still loses her baby brother and her mother. Her mother, in the form of another crane, even continues to taunt her with the idea of repeating the cycle. Regardless of the fact that Girl made progress to save herself.

As an artist/writer and mother of three herself, I'm very confused at the point Barnhill was aiming for. Is being an artist incompatible with motherhood? I don't see the value in continuing the "flaky artist" stereotype, and then adding kids to the mix on top of it. Isn't that ... hypocritical?

The original Crane Wife is a tale of love, redemption, sacrifice, and the importance of keeping promises. While this book has sacrifice in spades, and love, it completely misses the heart of the beautiful folktale.

Honestly, the more I think about this story, the more I want to return book (which makes me sad, because I bought it from a local independent shop and I really don't wanna take back the sale). I also can't help but think (in a very cynical section of my brain) that this is another case of a white person "reinventing" Japanese mythology without fully understanding it.