I, Parrot
A graphic novel collaboration with the illustrator Elizabeth Haidle. The surreal tale of a mother, a son, forty-two endangered parrots, and a fierce search for redemption.
“[Unferth’s] language is sly and bitterly funny, matched in mood by Haidle’s monochromatic, inkwash–style artwork, which plays up the story’s whimsy as well as its sadness.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“I don’t know anything about birds, but I do know good comics, and this is one.”
—Vulture
“Unferth dexterously juggles pathos and humor in her debut graphic novel, an intimate and contemplative reflection on the slow revelatory dawning of what it means to care for something—or someone… Unexpectedly funny, sad, scary, affirming and totally engrossing.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A deftly observed, sad, and ultimately hopeful fable about civilization, wildness, and love.”
—Molly Crabapple, author of Drawing Blood
“I, Parrot beautifully renders the weird in–betweenness of life. It illuminates the messy: custody battles, insecticide hazards, the hairpin paths of love.”
—Leanne Shapton, author of Swimming Studies