Jocelyne Saucier

I am still enshrouded in the gentle mood this book covered me with like a fur blanket. This tale of elderly men in the forest, the survivors of a terrible fire, and the photographer who weaves the stories and art together is so atmospheric I can feel the mosquitoes, hear the gentle sounds of the lake, smell the woodsmoke.

There’s something intoxicating about the idea of going off grid, off the screen, and just living as one wishes away from all the disasters about- especially now. Not that life for these people is idyllic- each has a burden, each has a designated way out.

Amongst this and the destruction of lives wrought by the fire, comes a love, one that warms the heart more than a wood fire. A gentle, amazingly deep love.

The title, “and the birds rained down” is so evocative- it reminds me of Helen Humphreys story of the frozen birds in her book “The Frozen Thames”- something about birds being damaged by events seems so startling, so indicative of the all encompassing nature of a disaster...

Please read this book. You won’t ever forget it.… (mere)