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Reviewed by Olga Markova for Readers' Favorite
The Pilot and the Parrot by James Allan Krause is a remarkable work of literary fiction. The story offers us a sneak peek into the lives of the Foerster family. Of mixed French and German descent, the family prides itself on its remote genealogical connection to Madame Tussaud and an ancestral castle in Germany. We meet three siblings: Maria, a university professor; Frederick, a civil pilot; and Marcus, a marijuana grow-operator, but his occupation is unknown to the family – to them, he is a gardener of special plants. With their teenage children in tow, they are flying to Germany for Christmas. Their housekeeper, Bee, and talking parrot, Pock, greet them on arrival. But the Christmas reunion is tainted by the disappearance of the much-loved Pock, marking the start of an eventful and dramatic year. What lies ahead for the Foersters?
The second novel in The Trilogy: Looking Back, Here and Now, Searching Forward, The Pilot and the Parrot is a perfect standalone. Shadowing the Foersters through their joys, adventures, and adversities, I enjoyed discovering their characters, strengths, and weaknesses. The explanation Maria’s daughter offered for the story’s title made me reflect on my own interpretation. I appreciated the social issues James Allan Krause explored, such as race and sex discrimination, the status of the Roma people in Europe, favoritism, incursions on the freedom of expression, and school bullying. I also enjoyed the family reunions and celebrations of Christmas, Epiphany, Valentine’s Day, and Good Friday. The humor was beyond praise – my favorites were Marcus’s wedding-cake stunt and, on a deeper level, the irony of fate in disobeying orders at a critical moment.
I listened to the audiobook, and it was excellent. The author personally voice-acted this audiobook, and I admired how he brought every character to life with tailored accents, voices, and personality quirks. James Allan Krause excelled by creating this amazing production made up of ten fully-fledged scenes, each culminating in a great, meaningful song. I highly recommend this brilliant, entertaining, and thought-provoking audiobook to fans of literary fiction.
