Isaac and the Egg: the unique, funny and heartbreaking Saturday Times bestseller

Product Information

As Isaac comes to grips with what he finds in the forest, and as a result with the lost state of a life brought to ruin by grief, he has to ask himself what it is he wants from it going forward.

Dat is het moment waarop Isaac Egg ontmoet, een groot ei met een pluizige witte vacht, een geel gezichtje, grote ogen en lange armpjes. Hij kan dit bijzondere wezentje niet achterlaten in het bos en neemt hem mee naar huis, waar Egg alles op z’n kop zet, maar waar Egg er ook voor zorgt dat Isaac weer een reden heeft om uit bed te komen. Ze proberen elkaar steeds beter te begrijpen en Isaac gaat over belangrijke zaken nadenken, zet zijn overtuigingen op een rijtje en komt tot nieuwe inzichten, hij zet weer stappen in de buitenwereld en kan zijn gevoelens niet meer wegdrukken maar moet dwars door zijn rauwe rouw heen om weer voorzichtig licht in de duisternis te kunnen waarnemen. Hoewel Isaac wel inziet dat Egg te bijzonder is om met anderen te kunnen delen, wil hij ook geen afscheid van hem nemen. Zal hij ooit sterk genoeg zijn om weer op zijn eigen benen te kunnen staan? Sometimes, to get out of the woods, you have to go into them. Isaac and the Egg is one of the most hopeful, honest and wildly imaginative novels you will ever read. A grieving Isaac and his curious new friend are unlikely companions. They don’t even speak the same language. But their chance encounter will transform Isaac’s life in ways he cannot yet imagine.

Multibuys

So, for the ultimate buddy – and the perfect metaphor for coping with grief – I steered away from monsters, and looked towards eggs. Why shouldn’t life’s ultimate metaphor represent death, too? Isaac is very much the typical modern man, closed-off and unable to open up, which is why a personification of fragility was the perfect new best friend for him.

The insides of an egg on screen are rarely appetising. In fact, they’re usually terrifying. But they’re always intriguing. Eggs are a symbol of spine-tingling mystery simply because of the very nature of the egg: there must be something inside, waiting to hatch. Maybe he will finally understand why he went there that morning. Maybe he will find a way to tell the truth. So, what do you do when you read (and listen) to a book that you want the whole world to read, but you don't want to tell them too much about it, because this book is one of the most personal books that I have come across in a long time and it is a book that is best started with absolutely no preconceived ideas. For the first half of this book I was unsure if this was fantasy or reality, or if I even liked it. By the second half of the book I was captivated and couldn’t put it down. Never before have I read a book quite like it – beautifully lyrical, warm and yet sad, leaving question upon question. In parts I laughed. In other parts I thought “what on earth is this about?” and as the story unravelled and we learned more about Isaac Addy, I sobbed and sobbed. If you are looking for a book that pulls on the heartstrings in a touching and uniquely creative way – this is it. Nicole, NSW, 4 Stars No-one escapes grief and heartbreak and everyones journey through it will be different. Despite this story dealing with grief, it is wonderfully hopeful, charming and even funny at times.

Fiction

Isaac Addy is in een diep, donker dal beland, een dal waarin geen licht lijkt te kunnen doordringen. Sinds de dood van zijn grote liefde lijkt alles leeg en uitzichtloos en hij probeert zichzelf te verdoven om maar niets te hoeven voelen, hij heeft vrijwel iedereen van zich afgeduwd, verwaarloost zichzelf, is erg depressief en weet niet of hij nog wil leven. Op een dag staat hij op een brug, hij twijfelt of hij moet springen en hij schreeuwt… en dan schreeuwt er iets terug. First a confession; the love of my life died very recently so this book brought me to tears so very many times. But it also made me snort with laughter. But if that doesn’t happen, and let’s face it, it almost never does; that kind of approach to grief is all about people finding a way they can live with someone else’s grief which is never palatable to be around because it reminds us, and we hate this, that death happens. The two are unlikely companions. But their chance encounter will transform Isaac's life in ways he cannot yet imagine. Sometimes, to get out of the woods, you have to go into them. Isaac and the Egg is one of the most hopeful, honest and wildly imaginative novels you will ever listen to.