Owl In Love
Owl Tycho is half human and half owl, a wereowl. She is fourteen and in love with her science teacher.
Owl is a character that embraces her dual identities. She and her family hold fast to her dietary requirements
(though she is half human, she only eats as an owl would - no processed human food). Her parents are witches that make
their meager living by selling herbal remedies. Owl's parents also embrace who she is- they have no car or electricity
in their house, no central heat and air and a large empty, inside space in which owl can fly and hunt when it is cold
outside. For hundreds of years, in fact, Owl's family has produced shapeshifters such as Owl.
Many readers will be familiar with the student's crush on the teacher. Owl is willing to do anything for
Lindstrom - she spies on his house at night and watches him sleep (while she is out hunting). She imagines herself marrying
him and wonders how they will ever eat at a restaurant together since she does not eat human food.
Owl's character is witty and strong. She embraces who she is and sees herself as beautiful. According to
Chang, "The first person narrative [is] a precisely sustained voice that speaks both as innocent human and segacious bird"
(1993). Her naive approach to Mr. Lindstrom seems exaggerated and at times comical, however, the feelings are very realistic
to a teen. A strong aspect of the book is Owl's growth, paricularly thanks to her friend Dawn who proves to be a better
friend than she originally seemed. Owl sees that her crush on Mr. Lindstrom was a bit absurd when she discovers Mr.
Lindstrom has a son who is a wereowl just like herself.
The pace of the novel is swift - various plot strands are woven together in the end. The novel provides glimpses
of Houle (a.k.a. "David" - Mr. Lindstrom's son) as he is hospitalized for his condition - which is really just him suffering
from eating human food and not knowing how to be an owl. Mr. Lindstrom and his wife think their son has mental problems.
The novel also shows images of a wild barn owl (who is really Houle) learning to fly and crashing into things. The mysteries
of the novel are finally brought together in the end with a conclusion that is surprising and satisfying.
Kindl, Patrice. Owl in Love. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. ISBN 0395661625.
