Sprout has no name, except the one she gives herself. She chooses it because sprouts (as in the plants) are the beginning of life, and for an egg-laying hen trapped in a battery cage, the prospect of creating life is a daring dream.
So begins Sun-Mi Hwang's short novel, which follows Sprout from the farmyard to freedom. It may sound like the start of Chicken Run but make no mistake, freedom here comes at the cost freedom always comes at - danger, sacrifice, and no garuntee of happiness. The only reward is in making one's own choices - and in accepting the consequences. What Animal Farm is to Communism, this book is to free will.
I saw a post recently that said 'female Korean authors cut like a knife' and oh boy is that true here. The book forces the reader back into a child-like state - which is the last time most of us read illustrated books about the barnyard. For English readers, the characters transport us back to Charlotte's Web, The Animals of Farthing Wood, and Dick King Smith novels. The kingly rooster, his aloof bride (the only chick-rearing hen on the farm), the boastful guard-dog, and the conniving weasel... all could fit into those books with ease. But Sun-Mi Hwang never lets you forget that these are not child-friendly characters. The rooster's bride is made anxious and selfish by the continual loss of her children, the proud guard-dog is replaced by the farmers with barely a blink, and even the monstrous weasel is just a carnivore, fighting to survive.
But it's motherhood that sits at the heart of this novel. Sprout's only wish is to sit on an egg and hatch a chick. She is too old to lay, and has no concept of fertilisation, but she eventually gets her wish when she finds an abandoned egg. At this point I began to worry. I'd been promised an emotional roller-coaster, but stories of motherhood don't particularly affect me. I have no children and no strong opinion either way on whether I want them. I don't know what it is to yearn for motherhood, nor can I comprehend the emotions of raising a child in difficult circumstances.
Fortunately those fears were unfounded because I forgot that, though I may not be a mother, I have a mother; one with whom my relationship has not always been easy. It's hard to see Sprout's eventual child and not think of my own resentments, my desire to 'not turn into my mother', my bitterness, and - yes - my very real love for her. At the end of the novel (a moment that will break any reasonable human) I have to accept that in that scenario, I'd be the one causing the pain, however natural it might be to grow up and build one's own life. To have the book return you to childhood and then show you the sacrifices that even the most average parent makes seems a cruel trick indeed.
I won't talk about the final scene, but suffice to say, it's an image that will stay with me for a long time. If my eyes were a bit damp at that point, the last line was all that was needed to open the floodgates.
Would I reccomend this book? Yes. Though it's very short, so you might want to wait until it's on sale, rather than pay full-price.
Where did I hear about this book? I believe it was mentioned in a Books and Bao vlog, but I could be wrong.
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