Billy Bird by Emma Neale

#202 Do - read a book written by a local author. This evening I spent a few hours reading quirky, beautifully written Billy Bird by Emma Neale, a poet, novelist and freelance editor based in Dunedin. Billy Bird is Emma's 6th novel (she also has 5 collections of poetry) about a young boy who believes he's a bird after a family tragedy and explores the reaction of his parents to his behaviour. The book gets great reviews and was short-listed for the prestigious Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Emma is a recipient of many awards and fellowships and she is also a mother of two, with parenthood helping inspire her with the themes in the book. The cute cover of the book was designed by her son Abe. I bought my copy from the University Bookshop, great to support a wonderful local author

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