Review of "A Birdhouse in Brooklyn" by Katherine Howey, UK

Danz’s novel presents a seldom-seen view of life for ordinary New Yorkers in the aftermath of 9/11. She exposes the repercussions of the event on lives affected by the relocation caused by toxic waste, the increased security measures implemented by the government and the emotional scarring of citizens traumatised by terrorism. Her lively yet nuanced portraits of characters struggling for self-realisation in the face of monolithic corporate culture and the social, economic and political tensions entrapping them are moving and memorable.

Lucy and Vincent; Shawn, Alex and Carlos; Jason and Carina strive to realise their artistic and musical talent, whilst negotiating their sexual and cultural orientations in this polyglot world. Manhattan and Brooklyn are being swamped in urban sterility. The bird houses represent both the embracing of and protest against the citification of wildlife as capitalism steams on smashing everything in its path. Ideologies clash and the voice of the ordinary citizen, of reason and alternative views of why these events occurred, seems like a cry in the desert. Shawn, dealing with abandonment, parenthood and the spectre of aids frenetically recycles junk to make works of art whilst Jason seeks to justify his own vision through his graffiti protest. Lucy transforms herself from journalistic wage slave to a writer of integrity, recording and staying true to her values by helping the vulnerable and illiterate, instead of returning to the falsity of the corporate world.

As a native New Yorker, Danz sites her story in the history of this great city and records its changes as it moves between eras. From the social housing projects of the 1950s with their immigrant populations, independent retail grocery stores and industrial power plants, the narrative changes to show the invasion of the city by giant condos in the early 2000’s and the proliferation of high-end stores driving out the natives with their appeal to tourism.

Her characters flourish like wild flowers between the cracks of corporate culture, living lives which are of far cry from the polished media images of global capitalism. Their struggles show that the “little people” are not little at all but heroic. The lives of these characters will stay with you.

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