Mitchell once again surprises the reader. “The Black Swan Paddock” is different from all of his novels. This book is full of allusions to every major work of world literature and yet stands apart.
And above all because the main character, Jason Taylor, is a boy—secretly writing poems and fighting a stutter. Even though he reminds us of Salinger, Bradbury, and Harper Lee’s heroes, he is still unlike any of them.
Thirteen chapters of the novel take us from one event in Taylor’s life to another.
Thirteen months—from one January day of birth to the next—took Jason Taylor to grow up and turn from a restless, self-doubting teenager into an adult. From a duckling to a swan.