In the fall I was haunting my usual place—the used book sale—and came upon a copy of J. Kosinzki’s The Painted Bird. I’d read numerous things on both the book and the author. One of the most bizarre stories about Kosinzki happened in August 1969. He was set to visit several of his friends in Los Angeles when his luggage was accidentally sent to Chicago. So he was forced to divert his trip to Chicago to get luggage.
His friend was film director Roman Polanski, whose pregnant wife Sharon Tate was at home. In the night both she and her guests were bizarrely murdered by the Manson Family cult. Kosinzki detailed this weird mishap in his book Blind Date. He was also responsible for the novel Being There, which had plot similarities to Forrest Gump even though Kosinzki’s book came out much earlier.
Anyway, back to The Painted Bird. It is likely one of the finest novels I’ve ever read. Set during World War II in a surreal fairy landscape, it features a young gypsy boy struggling against incredible prejudice and cruelty. This was one of the most unusual books I’ve ever read. I can’t guarantee that it will appeal to fans of science fiction, horror, or fantasy, but it was so eerie I couldn’t put it down.
It is a world where peasant superstitions are alive and the land is haunted by all manner of spooky characters. However, take note: it is very violent and this kid is frequently attacked and abused. Even so, it gets my highest recommendation. Until next time Earthlings.