The Crane Husband is the tale of a mother and her daughter and son in the midwestern rural USA. You are invited into their lives after the death of their father and as their mother invited the large male sized Adult Crane to live with them. Saying that he’s to be their new ‘Father’ and that she loves him but all isn’t what it seems. And you are invited to watch their spiral down into abuse and neglect at his hands.

“It’s a lot more work to cause harm to someone who mistrusts you, or fears you. Or hates you. Love opens the city gates wide, and allows all manner of horrors right inside.” Kelly Barnhill’s new novella ‘The Crane Husband’ was quick and easy read, but personally, I found it to be a very emotional read. This book is listed as General Fiction (Adult), but I would call this also a Fantasy or speculative fiction narrative as well. I will start by saying this book is beautifully written, containing elements of fairy tale like story telling. TRIGGER WARNING, the narrative contains instances of domestic abuse and child neglect.This book invites the reader on an emotional rollercoaster ride, that once strapped in your invited to witness first hand the thoughts inside the mind of 15 year old girl from midwestern rural USA. I did like this book, but for me, as a survivor of domestic, it was a very sad and emotional ride, in which the reader will feel a loss of control and helplessness as they can do nothing to help the children or mother from the Crane. I was sent The Crane Husband by Macmillan-Tor/Forge as a Arc Review Copy through Netgalley. I liked the story alot, but I wouldn’t read it again because it brought up too many negative memories and emotions. Contemporary retelling of “ The Crane Wife”, which I’ll admit I’ve never read, so I cannot say anything about how this compares to that book.