The Nature of Small Birds Book Review

The Nature of Small Birds by Susie Finkbeiner

From back cover:

In 1975, three thousand children were airlifted out of Saigon to be adopted into Western homes. When one of those children announces her plans to return to Vietnam to find her birth mother, her loving adopted family is suddenly thrown back to the events surrounding her unconventional arrival in their lives. 

Mindy's father grapples with the tension between holding on tightly and letting his daughter spread her wings. Her mother undergoes the emotional roller coaster inherent in the adoption of a child from a war-torn country, discovering the joy hidden amid the difficulties. And Mindy and her sister struggle to find the strength to accept each other as they both discover who they truly are. 

I found myself a bit disappointed with this book. I mean, it was a nice story, but it was a story in which nothing really happened. There were some nice, heartfelt moments woven between briefly mentioned struggles, but they are never expounded upon so you don't really get more than a passing glace at them. 

Between the war, struggles to have more children, family issues, Mindy growing up and trying to fit in, her search for her birth family, etc., I felt there were a lot of missed opportunities to go deeper. For instance, I was really hoping for some sort of redemption with the relationship between Linda and her mother-in-law.  There is just a very brief little moment between them towards the end.

Also, I had hoped that Mindy's search for her birth family would have played more of a role in the story. The resolution just has a brief mention at the end and it just felt like it needed something more to really give the reader closure on the subject.

It took me a long time to get the characters straight. And not just that, you are dealing with 3 characters across 3 different timelines. I really enjoyed this author's previous book, All Manner of Things, where we follow one character, Annie. I really felt like I got to know her. This book had so much jumping around with POV it made it hard for me to connect with the characters. At first, they all seemed to have similar voices which made it harder for me to differentiate.

That said, once I got into the book I enjoyed the characters. It just took me longer than it should have to figure everyone out. Bruce's reflections on raising a family, Linda's recollections on early motherhood, and Sonny's relationship and growing up with Mindy during the 80's all give the reader a beautiful glimpse of a middle-class American family.

Overall it was just an okay book. I liked it, but I just don't think it's one that will stay with me quite like All Manner of Things did. 

I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The Nature of Small Birds releases July 6, 2021.