A deeply affecting exploration of the ramifications of having a disabled child. An ordinary family; mother, father, a boy and a girl, and then a severely handicapped child comes into the world and upends everything. Later another boy is born, but he too is affected by his now dead brother. Each of them has to find a way through the grief, the anger, the loss, the love, the disruption, the stresses and strain, the difficulties of having a disabled child in the family. Each comes to terms with what’s happened in his or her own way. And each way is relatable and understandable. The story is narrated by the ancient stones in the courtyard, which admittedly is a somewhat quirky approach for such a serious book, but most of the time I forgot that it was the stones speaking, and although I’m not sure it added anything to the narrative, it didn’t impinge on it either. It’s a heart-breaking little tale, and for anyone who’s ever had a disabled child, or been in contact with one, then this book will feel very real and most certainly tug at your heart strings.

Thank you to the author, publishers, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

"We carry their stories deep within us, and it is their tale we wish to tell."

Told from the perspective of sentient Stones (they [the children] name us), And the Stones Cry Out is a novel in translation chronicling the lives of four siblings: the first born, the sister, the boy and the last born. The boy is born with severe disability, resulting in his only sense remaining being his hearing. The family are thrown by the news, and the Stones watch them as the boy grows and doesn't get better, and the first born becoms almost obsessive in his care for him. They tell the story of the first born going from arragont to caring, watching his siblings, and caring for them with the intensity of a trained professional. And, becoming a ghost following the boys' death.

The Stones watch the sister as she resents the boy for taking her older brothers attention from her, the rage and anger and, subsequent changes she experiences, "she wondered how one should mourn a living person."
They speak of her becoming her family's fixer and, following a move to Portugal, they speak of her falling in Iove and becoming a mother herself, noting, "You can give without fearing loss."

Finally, they speak of the last born, born many years after the boys death, and the way he lives in the boys' shadow, naming him 'the enchanter'. They speak of the way the last borns parents and sister dote on him, and the way he never knows what to say to the first born. He is gifted and smart - creating his own languages and understanding emotions at a depth far beyond his years.

Lyrical and poetic, And the Stones Cry Out is a novel that criticises how society treats those with and surrounded by severe disabilities and the way the world is made for people who fit into 'normal' societal boxes. The author explores sibling relationships, cultural differences, and grief in a succinct and beautiful way. There is amazing character development, with each sibling moving on in their own way or remaining stuck in the past.

This was a phenomenal read that I managed to read in under an hour, and I would love to see more from this author.

4 stars.

I heard about this book in a 2024 preview session and it instantly grabbed my attention, and at less than 200 pages, I thought it would be a good read to fit in when I'm busy.

It is such a beautiful exploration of disability and how it affects all around it. And the relationship between the baby and his older brother is a beauty to behold. Heart-breaking at times, but no less beautiful.

There's no real chapters in this book. I don't like long chapters, and I especially dislike books that don't have any. But it didn't seem as much of a big issue with this for some reason. Maybe because it's short already, that it just felt like one big chapter, I'm not sure. Maybe splitting it into too many chapters would interrupt the flow, interrupt the feeling of the book. But for once, I wasn't against the decision.

It's split into three sections. The first from the point-of-view of the eldest boy. The second from the point-of-view of the only sister. The third point-of-view....I won't spoil it by saying who that is, but they're all given enough time to shine and tell their own stories.

This is the first thing I've read of Clara's, and whilst I know it is translated and so it might be a mixture of her work and Ben's, but I can already tell she's an expert at description. Of the location, love, family, sounds, smells, feelings.

There is very little dialogue in this book. Nearly none in the first section, more in the second, and little again in the third. It's instead told via the stones outside of the house. This means it could have been really difficult to get an understanding of the characters, and yet I still felt like I knew them, especially the eldest son. He was more of a character than some of the 'more developed' I've read in other books.

We don't know the characters names. We have a rough idea of ages, but that's about it. This means we have to create our own characters in our heads and I think that adds to the power of the story, it makes you more invested and it touches you more.

It is a very harsh, but raw and honest depiction of disability and the difficulties that come with it, things you may not think of unless you're in that position: schooling, benefits, housing, friends, employment, community. Disability affects not just the physically or mentally disabled, but every single thing or person around them, and that is difficult. It's often swept under the rug, and the hard things about disability are often hidden, but this doesn't hide it. This puts it on full view, which is hard to read times, especially if you've not had much experience with disability.

It was good, entertaining to read, and I enjoyed it, it was interesting and thought-provoking, but a bit strange, very unique; I've never read anything like it. But why it's narrated by the rocks, I'm still not sure.

This was beautifully written and incredibly unique, I’ve never read a story told from the perspective of stones before. I did enjoy the narration, although I struggled with the characters, especially the main character. While the narration added an interesting element, it felt very disconnected from the characters and families, making it hard for me as a reader to connect to them as well. So its a mixed bag unfortunately for me, beautiful writing and premise, just a bit lacking in character connection.