""Claire Oshetsky’s novel is a marvel: its language a joy, its imagination dizzying."" —Rumaan Alam, New York Times bestselling author of Leave the World Behind
An exhilarating, provocative novel of motherhood in extremis
Tiny is pregnant. Her husband is delighted. “You think this baby is going to be like you, but it’s not like you at all,” she warns him. “This baby is an owl-baby.”
When Chouette is born small and broken-winged, Tiny works around the clock to meet her daughter’s needs. Left on her own to care for a child who seems more predatory bird than baby, Tiny vows to raise Chouette to be her authentic self. Even in those times when Chouette’s behaviors grow violent and strange, Tiny’s loving commitment to her daughter is unwavering. When she discovers that her husband is on an obsessive and increasingly dangerous quest to find a “cure” for their daughter, Tiny must decide whether Chouette should be raised to fit in or to be herself—and learn what it truly means to be a mother.
Arresting, darkly funny, and unsettling, Chouette is a brilliant exploration of ambition, sacrifice, perceptions of ability, and the ferocity of motherly love.
The Chouette audiobook features original music composed and performed by Claire Oshetsky’s daughter, Patricia Taxxon.
Download and start listening now!
“Forces parents to consider their relationship with their children…The book has deep and universal resonance.”
— San Francisco Chronicle
“Weirdly funny and bold, this novel will make you look at maternal sacrifice in a new way.”
— Real Simple“An engrossing, surreal portrayal of motherhood.”
— NPR“A fever dream of a novel that will enchant fans of contemporary fabulism.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Claire Oshetsky is the author of Chouette, which won the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing and was a finalist for the Northern California Book Award and the Barbellion Prize.
Julia Whelan is a novelist, screenwriter, lifelong actor, and multiple award-winning audiobook narrator. She graduated with a degree in English and creative writing from Middlebury College and Oxford University. She is a former child actor who has appeared in multiple films and television shows.