The Axeman's Carnival

This book is one of the best Bookish Surprises I have ever I received and, without a doubt, one of the most original books I have ever read. This book, and Tama, has lived in mind on so many levels since the first page! I mean how many books can you say are narrated by a magpie from the time it is hatched. Tama is a total scene stealer and he is everything that creates a wonderfully vivid and mythic character that is like the Trickster god Loki has taken form to live in New Zealand.

Told by a hyper-intelligent magpie, The Axeman's Carnival is an engaging mix of sweet, sour and surreal. There are many moments when the action is simultaneously unsettling and funny. The story unfolds deep in rural Otago, New Zealand. Marnie rescues a magpie, names him Tama, nurses him to health and decides to keep him, despite objections raised by her husband, Rob. Rob is a farmer beset by financial challenges. He is also a nine-times champion in the regional wood-cutting competition. When Tama becomes a social media sensation, it looks as if he can be the couple's financial saviour, but tensions are never far away. And for Tama, there is a tug of war between rejoining his flock, and his love for Marnie. I loved this book, a tour de force by Catherine Chidgey and brilliantly read by the New Zealand actor and comedian, Nic Sampson.