The Language of the Birds

In 2003 Paul Arimond is sent to Afghanistan as a medical corpsman. The country has a rich variety of animal life, and Paul’s great-grandfather had once travelled there in his search to discover the universal language of birds. Paul also loves birdwatching and taking notes on what he observes. Birds seem to live according to different rules and with a different kind of freedom, while Paul himself is plagued with feelings of guilt after a car accident for which he was partly responsible. As the situation in Afghanistan becomes increasingly dangerous and threatening, Paul’s behaviour grows more and more erratic. Norbert Scheuer’s moving new novel about a fragile bird lover takes readers straight to the heart of the mysterious net in which his singular characters are caught. The novel is illustrated with imaginative drawings of birds.