First published 2018
Caruso the cockatoo watches from his perch as beautiful Clarissa tends to her daily routines in their North Carolina seaside home. Captured years ago from his native Australia, the intelligent bird has learned about human love from his previous owner's obsessive devotion to a childhood romance. Now Caruso has transferred that passionate understanding to Clarissa, finding contentment in their quiet life together. His world shifts when a handsome man arrives in town and begins pursuing Clarissa's attention. Caruso schemes to drive away this unwelcome rival, determined to protect what he considers his rightful place in Clarissa's heart. As a fierce hurricane approaches the coast in the early 1990s, the storm forces Caruso to confront both his deep attachment to his human companion and his buried memories of flying free in Australian skies. The novel explores how devotion crosses the boundaries between species.
Genres: animals, romance, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, interspecies-relationship
Setting: North Carolina, Australia
Period: 1990s
304 pages · Hardcover · Ashland Creek Press