Kyra Leseberg (Roots & Reads)'s Reviews > The Crane Husband

Kelly Barnhill has wowed me again with a contemporary retelling of The Crane Wife.

In Barnhill's reimagining, a 15-year-old girl in the American Midwest is the backbone of her family after her father dies when she's young. The girl has taken over the household management and money while also raising her young brother so her mom can continue to weave beautiful tapestries that art collectors greedily lap up.

After six years of just the three of them tucked away in their farmhouse, her mom brings home a six-foot fall crane and focuses solely on weaving a masterpiece demanded by the crane.
The girl is having trouble keeping food on the table as her mother abandons the art that has fed them and she begins to notice cuts and bruises on her mom; meanwhile, social services moves closer to their front door.

A lyrical story that is raw with heartbreak, domestic violence, and magical realism but also shares the power of love, sacrifice, and family.

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