There are many deliciously realized moments and excellent dialogue. The descriptions of Montréal and its inhabitants, particularly the eccentric family members, give a wonderful sense of place to the book. The maniacal characters, the


detail of neighbourhood, the wildly zany plot - most of all the mix of pathos and black humour - brings to mind another novel with outrageous individuals and a city locale that could be nowhere else: John Kennedy Toole’s New Orleans-set, Pulitzer Prize winning A Confederacy of Dunces. Black Bird reminds one of that


wonderful novel. It is grand farce like its counterpart; both – in tone and scope - compare favorably with the writing of master satirist Jonathan Swift. Black Bird is malicious, gothic,


anarchic and hugely inventive. Basiliéres’ literary debut is a resoundingly dynamic one.


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BOUNDER MAGAZINE 39


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