Little Birds by Hannah Lee Kidder - Book Review

This collection of short fiction stories touches on multiple subjects, all of which have a sense of relatability within them. Hannah’s style of writing is direct and utilizes description to build each story’s world.

The stories that contain dialogue are evenly balanced with her descriptions. Each story develops characters through the setting and dialogue (when it’s presented) without specifically telling the reader.

Little Birds contains stories that are told with first-person point of view and third person point of view, thus showing readers a diversity in Hannah’s skills as a writer.

Alongside her direct style, Hannah tackles different subjects of varying nature, some of which address mature subjects while others seem to address younger audiences. This wide audience demonstrates a versatility in Hannah’s abilities and prove that she is an experienced writer.

The first story in Little Birds, “Dear Emma” is a short but impactful story that people who have left a relationship may be able to sympathize with on some level.

Each of the stories in Little Birds is written closely in line with real, everyday events, relationships, and experiences that cater to the relatability of her audience.

Most likely inspired by her own life and experiences, the messages in each story are powerful—even when subtly presented. Hannah does an excellent job of establishing her own unique style throughout the book.

Though each story contains a different theme, message, or purpose, the stories flow together in a seamless manner. Like “Dear Emma”, the story “Little Birds” is one of the shorter stories in the book, but the tone of this story is different than one would expect of the topic Hannah addresses.

The subtlety of the darker tone in “Little Birds” displays Hannah’s style on a higher level. Throughout the book, Hannah shows off her ability to disguise darker themes in her stories through the word choice and style in which she writes.

This strength presents some topics readers might want to shy away from but that are important or impactful in society.