Book Blurb:
When Tallulah Jones was thirteen, her grandmother plucked her from the dank Oakland apartment she shared with her unreliable mom and brought her to the family ostrich ranch in the Mojave Desert. After eleven years caring for the curious, graceful birds, Tallulah accepts a job in Montana and prepares to leave home. But when Grandma Helen dies under strange circumstances, Tallulah inherits
everything–just days before the birds inexplicably stop laying eggs.
Guarding the secret of the suddenly barren birds, Tallulah endeavors to force through a sale of the ranch, a task that is complicated by the arrival of her extended family. Their designs on the property, and deeply rooted dysfunction, threaten Tallulah’s ambitions and eventually her life. With no options left, Tallulah must pull her head out of the sand and face the fifty-year legacy of a family in turmoil: the reality of her grandmother’s death, her mother’s alcoholism, her uncle’s covetous anger, and the 142 ostriches whose lives are in her hands.
My Review: 4 stars
142 Ostriches intrigued me by title and cover alone and I can definitely say it was unlike anything I’ve ever read. I have little to no credible knowledge about ostriches so reading a coming-of-age story set in the intriguing world of ostrich farming was a nice change of pace. Also, I’m pretty certain this is the only book I’ve read that’s set in the Mojave Desert.
Even though this was a short novel, Davila still managed to develop a complex set of characters. I really enjoyed Tallulah as a protagonist. She was straightforward and flawed, wanting to be her own person and do something important while navigating her familial ties and obligations. As are most families, hers was a fine example of dysfunction. Her honesty and self-awareness in the midst of complicated family drama such as abandonment, addiction, unfaithfulness and money issues, made her likeable and relatable.
I found the grandmother’s death a bit convenient. Whether it was a suicide versus an accident, we’ll never know, only the vague mention of her grandmother’s strange behavior. I would have liked if that backstory was fleshed out a bit more. Overall, I highly enjoyed reading this novel. It was a quick read that packed a lot of literary tropes (finding yourself, dealing with grief, family tensions) in a non-cheesy way and left me with a smile on my face. I’m excited for her next book, which is mentioned at the end of the story.
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