Vita and the Birds
Vita and the Birds shifts between 1938 and 1997 and follows two women – Lady Vita Goldsborough and Eve Blakeney – as they each attempt to cope with life on the East Anglian coast after suffering traumatic losses. In the past, Vita is recovering from a debilitating illness whilst also battling the behaviour of her abusive brother, Aubrey. It is only when a chance encounter acquaints her with the eccentric artist, Dodie Blakeney, that Vita finds the courage to face the horrors of her past and present.
Over sixty years later, Dodie’s granddaughter, Eve – a struggling painter – is suffering tragedies of her own: the death of her beloved mother and her failed art career. She hopes returning to her grandmother’s studio on the coast will help alleviate her grief and, after agreeing to paint a portrait for a strange old woman, it seems as though Eve is finally beginning to look to the future. But when a revelation from Dodie’s past reveals the truth of Eve’s lineage and leads her back to the Cathedral of the Marshes – an ominous glass building which harbours further mysteries – history once again threatens to resurface and reclaim the women who fought so hard to escape it.
In only 374 pages, Crosby succeeds in delivering a bittersweet tale of love, loss, and lies that stretches across the 20th century. Through the eyes of the two young protagonists, sixty years apart, readers bear witness to the shared struggles of women who inhabit the outskirts of society, regardless of the period in which they lived. In this story of sapphic romance and the search for lost family, Crosby provides a moving narrative about learning to accept love and source strength from the people around you, to embrace your history whilst refusing to allow it to consume you.
