When God was a Rabbit: From the bestselling author of STILL LIFE

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And then there is the language. Winman has the eye for observation of a small child and the pen of a poet, but combines them with the technical skill and self-control to reserve her poetic imagery for the moments that really matter, big and small. The result is that we are never inured to her description, we never lose the sense of wonder or the ability to see the extraordinary nature of the ordinary.

Ceea ce am apreciat mai puțin a fost finalul, colorat asemeni unui curcubeu dat fiind multitudinea de happy end-uri. Până și cele mai dramatice momente sunt depășite cu brio, iar traumele din copilărie sunt procesate cu dârzenie în exclusivitate pe cont propriu. Acest aspect mi s-a părut exagerat și puțin veridic luând în considerare avalanșa de evenimente nefaste ce s-au perindat de-a lungul întregii povești. rounded up for the author's wonderful narration. Readers suffering withdrawal symptoms from Winman's Still Life are bound to be delighted to discover this debut novel, which I thought could almost be seen as an early blueprint for the brilliance to come. There are some striking similarities between the two. I’d enjoyed Winman’s Tin Man so was very disappointed with this latest book club read. You can tell it was a debut novel because she really threw the kitchen sink in when it comes to quirkiness and magic realism. I don’t like when quirkiness is there just for the sake of it, or when secondary characters (who still manage to be more engaging than the primary ones) are little more than a thumbnail description: the lesbian actress aunt, the camp old lodger. I also hate the use of 9/11 as a plot device, something I have encountered several times in the last couple of years, and stupid names like Jenny Penny. Really, the second part of this novel just feels like a rehearsal for Tin Man in that it sets up a close relationship between two gay men and a woman.The book kind-of loses its breezy mojo around the halfway point, when the grind of imperishable relationships and the promise of resurrection becomes its focus. I do like the main story; it's about the love and bond between a brother and sister, a family, friendships and love in all forms. It's a beautiful concept, really. But I'm afraid I cannot say I enjoyed the book as much, let alone reread it. Elly, her brother Joe and her childhood friend Jenny Penny are all outsiders - not the angry and embittered kind, though, but the kind who know they are in some small way different, unique, set apart. They, their family, and the friends who become a part of that extended family may be fictional, but they have the immediacy and honesty and vibrancy of real people, and their lives have the ring of a true story. They are flawed, passionate, muddled, baggage-laden, generous, tragic, vibrant, good, above all human. They are the people we know, the people we are, the people with whom we want to surround ourselves. There are some laugh out loud moments and some that make you tear up, it's a tale that rings of truth throughout, heartbreaking, poignant, hilarious, cruel, it's quite simply beautiful. And I wonder what the sound of a heart breaking might be. And I think it might be quiet, unperceptively so, and not dramatic at all. Like the sound of an exhausted swallow falling gently to earth.”

Winman balances these themes with pathos and humour. She has a particular talent for comedy and at times the book is laugh-out-loud funny. Without a reason, why bother? Existence needs purpose: to be able to endure the pain of life with dignity; to give us a reason to continue. The meaning must enter our hearts, not out heads. We must understand the meaning of our suffering.”This story begins in the past, looking at the early lives of the main protagonists, and it is this section of the novel which sets the tone for the remainder of the story and lures you into the lives of the characters within. It is this section of the story which really reminds me of 'A Curious Incident of a Dog in the Night-time' with the characters innocence really dominating and drawing you into their lives and world, making it difficult to put this book down. A heartbreaking story of the secrets and hopes of a sister and brother who share an unshakable bond. Winman shows impressive range and vision'--Publishers Weekly But there’s a continuation of huge and dramatic events, (some of which really feel quite contrived) Amintirile”, îmi spunea ea, „indiferent cât de mărunte sau de inconsecvente ar fi, sunt paginile care ne definesc”.” Best character for me was Elly's fabulously bohemian aunt Nancy, a rambunctious delight who travels the world snogging any similarly-fabulous females who might take her fancy.

Sarah Winman wins Newton First Book Award". edbookfest.co.uk. Edinburgh International Book Festival. 19 October 2011 . Retrieved 29 January 2012.

We were solitary and apart. Slept during the day, uncurled at dusk like evening primroses; fragrant and lush. We never wanted to conquer the world, only our fears. We didn't keep in touch. Somewhere, though, our memories had.”

When God was a Rabbit is the debut young adult novel by Sarah Winman. Published in 2011 by Headline, it tells the story of a single family across four decades and the strange and wonderful events which shape them. This coming-of-age novel is praised for its comments on familial ties and the loss of childhood innocence. Winman is an international bestselling author, and When God was a Rabbit received numerous awards including the 2011 Edinburgh International Book Festival First Book Award and the 2011 Galaxy National Book Award for Galaxy New Writer of the Year. Winman simultaneously captures the occasionally overwrought self-consciousness of childhood and gently satirizes it. Young Elly quotes Nietzsche at the family dinner table and auditions for the school Nativity play with a monologue about needing money for an abortion and gin. The proceedings are also leavened by the fact that the supporting characters fare much better than the children. Elly’s parents win a lot of money in the football pools, allowing the family to relocate to a huge house in Cornwall. Elly’s lesbian aunt, Nancy, meets with much approbation, both as a film actress and as the family’s unofficial guardian angel. Twenty years on, Elly and Joe are fully grown and as close as they ever were. Until, that is, one bright morning and a single, earth-shattering event that threatens to destroy their bond for ever. Winman writes with apparent ease and the narrative flows comfortably between the contrasting moods. And he uncovered in us a curious need: that we each secretly wanted him to remember us the most. It was strange, both vital and flawed, until I realised that maybe the need to be remembered is stronger than the need to remember.”

Things are complicated in Elly's life and yet the fairy tale, childish quality of Winman's writing means there's a lightness to it all - even the disastrous nativity play that ends with baby Jesus in a coma.