Synopses & Reviews
An emotionally searing novel of second chances from an author whose "gorgeous and wise prose" (Cheryl Strayed) will stay with you long after you're done
June is in transition, reeling from her divorce, trying to stay sober, and faced with a completely stalled career. She returns to the beautiful Oregon coast where she grew up, and must decide what to do with her late and much-loved grandparents' charming cedar-shingled home, a place haunted by memories of her childhood.
Jameson comes highly recommended to renovate the old house to sell, and from their first contact, his curiosity is piqued by June. He too is unmoored as he struggles to redefine his marriage in the aftermath of tragic loss, and over the course of the summer, his conversations with June about the house quickly turn to the personal -- of secrets hidden in walls and of stories from the past half-told. Sensing connection, June and Jameson can't seem to stop circling each other, shying away from hurt. But what can the future hold as long as they are gripped so firmly by the past?
Brimming with empathy, The Days When Birds Come Back, like the house itself, is a graceful testament to endurance, rebuilding, and the possibilities of coming home.
Review
"Reed shines with a light hand and direct storytelling, but her characters are what make this novel move—their vulnerability, imperfect recovery, and endearing loss for words."—Booklist
Review
"Two strangers, each harboring guilty sorrow over past losses, offer each other solace in this introspective novel from Reed."—Kirkus Reviews
Review
“In Reed’s achingly exquisite latest, two scarred-by-life souls—a divorcee and a man toppled by tragedy—hide from their pasts by together renovating an old Oregon house. About the love we’ve lost, the mistakes and secrets we're afraid to reveal, and a haunting reminder that second chances aren’t just given—we have to be brave enough to earn them. A blindingly beautiful book.”
— Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Cruel Beautiful World
About the Author
Deborah Reed is the author of four novels: The Days When Birds Come Back, Olivay, Things We Set on Fire, and Carry Yourself Back to Me. She has written two popular thrillers under the pen name Audrey Braun. Reed holds an MFA in creative writing from Pacific University and is codirector of the Black Forest Writing Seminars at the University of Freiburg in Germany. She lives on the coast of Oregon.