Suki Wessling speaks with local author Claire Oshetsky about her new book, Chouette. In the book, the narrator literally, or perhaps metaphorically, gives birth to an owl-baby. The mother is fiercely protective of her unusual child, and perceives others as trying to “fix” a child who is not broken. The book can be seen as a metaphor for how a feminist has to give up work to raise a child with special needs, clashing with her husband in a struggle to appreciate who her child is, and finally needing to set the child free into the life that suits her best. But it can also be seen as a fantastic tale of a woman who produces an unusual child with her owl-lover, and has to navigate the perilous journey of raising an owl-child amongst happy dog-people. Suki and Claire discuss mothering as artists, raising non-neurotypical children, the expectations of feminism, and setting our children free.
