Murder owls swarm a library and trap patrons inside
The Parliament — Aimee Potwatka
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The Parliament by Aimee Potwatka
Content warnings included in the footnote of this newsletter.1
What It’s About
Yes, I did say murder owls. What would you do if, one casual weekday, you were at the library and witnessed a swarm (a parliament) of owls descend and murder everyone outside?
The patrons of this library barricade it shut while they see emergency crews and police officers take over the parking lot, trying to keep people indoors and keep themselves safe. Inside the library, there are the staff, some teenagers who were attending a bath bomb workshop, a few men researching in the genealogy section, and a handful of regulars. They must work together if they are going to figure out how to thwart the owls, stay alive, and get home.
But it’s not that simple, especially when everyone has different ideas on how to accomplish this. On top of everything, the kids are getting scared, and Madeleine, who was leading the bath bomb workshop, is tasked with keeping them calm and secure. So she begins to read from her favorite childhood book.
This story within a story is about the resilience of the human spirit and how, above all, helping one another is how we will survive.
Why You Should Read It
If you’ve been interested in the horror resurgence but feel a bit nervous to jump all the way into straight gore, this is a great place to start. It has all the elements of a classic horror without (most) of the violence (though check the content warnings below!).
Potwatka provides a detailed and nuanced look at all the characters who are trapped inside the library — realistic depictions of all those who might visit a real one — and shows good and bad sides of each. This portrayal is what makes this book shine, showing how, ultimately, we have to be kind if we’re going to make it in this cruel, frightening world.
The story inside the story, the fable of The Silent Queen, also added immensely to the novel, and I was never bored with either narrative, which can sometimes happen with this structure. I will certainly be looking for more by Potwatka in the future and can’t wait to see what she writes next.
I absolutely loved this piece from Andrea Bass on getting rid of 200+ books. I never really thought about my own library until I moved last year, and now, 8 months later, as I am still unpacking boxes of books, I am beyond overwhelmed. I knew I had a lot of books, but this feels excessive, to an almost embarrassing degree. I am actively trying to downsize, and I’m deep into underconsumption TikTok, prioritizing things I already own and not buying new things. For the month of July, I have only bought necessities, groceries, and dog supplies.
But there’s still the matter of my books. I am actively trying to read on my Kindle (which I bought used from Unclaimed Baggage years ago) so I can downsize even more and have listed lots of books for sale in my Pango shop (use “CASSIEREADS” at checkout for $5.00 off your first purchase — from any seller! not just me!). I’m dropping ARCs off at local little free libraries.
But it still isn’t making a dent. Or, I don’t feel like it is. Part of me is comforted by being surrounded by my books. But I don’t want to be swallowed by them. Do you have advice for balancing keeping things you like and not hanging on to too many things? There are so many things in the world! Let’s have less things!
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Content warnings include shooting at a school (in character’s past, seen through flashbacks, shooter is adult, one child dies); dementia (mention only, off page); gore, open wounds, incisions, etc.; harm to children via birds/owls/animals (both in main narrative and inside fantasy story); death of mother and child (inside fantasy story).
This is the best headline to ever headline.
It sounds like The Birds, but 10x cooler.