BIRD

BIRD is a novel about the power of connection and our responsibility to surface the truth of ourselves and each other. It's about a girl and a woman determined to live on their own terms.

Himalayas, Unknown Year. On the eve of her 14th birthday, Bird escapes an arranged marriage and a life of servitude. She recruits her only friend Teshi to flee with her. Disguising themselves as monks, they vanish into the crowd of pilgrims but then lose each other in the chaos of the pilgrimage site. Alone, Bird finds a girl's body floating in a lake and realises there is violence circling. But it already has its eyes on her. In a parallel modern-day story in Darwin, Australia, Bird recruits her only friend T, to help her steal a car and escape her mother's lecherous boyfriend, even if it is just for a day. On a whim, Bird pulls a water pistol on a service station attendant, and a policeman shoots her in the shoulder. Hospitalised, she is taken care of by a nurse named Margie. But Bird is not sure if she can trust her kindness. She escapes but ends up in juvenile prison, where the other girls shun her. In her isolation, memories of Bird's first life overwhelm her. Bird is stuck in a pattern. But alone, she knows that she does not have the power to free herself. Courtney Collins is an author and screenwriter. Her debut novel, The Burial, has been published in 8 countries and has been optioned for a feature film by Pure Pictures. She is completing a PhD, 'Working Against Whiteness in Creative Literary Production.' She is the presenter and co-producer of a podcast, 'Are You Still Working' - which explores how to take your creative ideas seriously.