The Birdcage Library: A spellbinding novel of hidden clues and dark obsession

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Welcome, dear reader. You have found me, and I you. The diary you hold in your hands is a treasure map. It will lead you to what you ought to seek. Like all such maps, the trail is cryptic. The reason for this is simple. The man I love is trying to kill me.” But, of course, what would a blindingly good mystery be, or a mystery within a mystery, if there weren’t broken, fallible people at its core?

Freya Berry always loved stories, but it took several years as a journalist to realise she loves the kind of truth that lies in fiction, not reality. (Or, to put it another way, making stuff up is more fun.) What makes this book extra special is Yarmysh as Alexei Navalny’s long-serving press secretary. Having spent time in prison herself, not to mention being forced into exile since 2021, hers is an authoritative insider’s perspective on the perils of criticising the Putin regime. Russian literature has a long tradition of important dissenting voices and Yarmysh more than deserves her place among them. Emily, our bright and determined adventurer had such an emotional story arc that I couldn’t help but root for her to succeed, and overcome her alcohol dependency, survivors’ guilt (surrounding her twin’s death) and distant relationship with her father. Character voices were distinct, they were interesting. Emmy is likeable but flawed enough to never feel dull. Her intelligence shines through and her inquisitive and empathetic mind helps her to unravel what has been purposely designed as a complex mystery.I looked at him a moment, thinking of the girl I had been at the cage factory, her head filled with empty dreams. The woman who had married, hoping for an augmentation of the soul, for other worlds than this. And the creature I was now, her whole being narrowed to the man before her. ‘Perhaps. But look at the emporium, Henry. The best most of us can hope for is to find comfort inn our cages.’

I adored how rich and visceral the descriptions were and felt they definitely brought 19th C New York and 1930s Scotland to life. And was equally impressed by the depth and complexity Freya Berry manages to imbue her characters with. Even the more antagonistic characters, prone to bouts of cruelty and avarice were really well written (though not nearly as in-depth as Emily or Hester.)When dreaming up my next novel, I’m always thinking about location, location, location. Scotland’s wild west coast has captured my imagination for years now, with its huge skies, hidden coves and dark sea lochs. I go every year – I even got married there! – so when I first began planning The Birdcage Library, I knew it would involve a Scottish castle. I love the gothic genre, and the castles of the Highlands teem with mystery and secrets. This is one of the best examples of dual time line I have read in a while. Both women were almost talking to each other across time. Emmy and Hester were very different yet I felt an akinship between them, the way Hester led Emmy via her diary to the hidden crannies of that castle. Ooh there’s those goosebumps again. Demands to be devoured in one sitting. Sumptuously written. One of the most compelling literary debuts of the year’ GLAMOUR When looking beyond the new I try to choose books from a few specific categories: a prize winner, a book of short stories and one of the classics, for example. It’s a dual time line story and a diary from one woman in 1932 speaks to a woman in the oresent day. I loved that. A mystery, a story within a story. Emmy is the woman who is asked to go to a castle in Scotland to catalogue the animals. Imagine, a creepy castle full of dead animals and an owner who is just as weird. I shivered during these scenes – very chilling!

The Birdcage Library is a historical novel with two separate perspectives told about fifty years apart. We meet Emmy, our protagonist as she is given a commission to catalogue a taxidermy collection at a remote property in Scotland. I read an eARC of this book so thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for allowing this. Will Emily be able to unravel the mysteries that she has before her or will her own curiosity leave her fate in the hands of the unknown?But when she accepts a new commission to catalogue all of an old man’s taxidermied animals in a remote and hauntingly beautiful part of Scotland, it’s out of economic necessity with the Great Depression having wiped out the funds that had allowed her and her father to lead a relatively comfortable, thought not lavish, existence. If that doesn’t sound much like holiday fare, fear not, Bunting’s book, while justifiably angry at society’s ills, is also a magnificent piece of travel writing, combining just the right mix of history tracing our seaside resorts’ development from the 18th century, personal memoir and observational reportage. To the reader with a most inquisitive mind and a fearless disposition, you are invited to embark on a quest, a treasure hunt, if you will, down a path only a puzzler may dare tread, for the answers to such a perplexing and beguiling puzzle lie hidden within an old and long-forgotten book… Authors, if you are a member of the Goodreads Author Program, you can edit information about your own books. Find out how in this guide.