A lyrical novella which feels closer to a poem than a story. Max Porter's writing style is captivating in the way he conjures up vivid images in this story. A stream of consciousness is the best way I can describe the way the plot progresses with a nod to tempo in the way the format of the book changes which I especially appreciated, given the interests of Shy, it felt authentic.  My only gripe being how I personally found it hard to follow at points and had to stop and re-read parts to understand where the story was moving but apart from that an empathetic and beautiful book.