The Bird Room — Chris Killen

Painfully average and introverted Will finally has a bird. Her name is Alice. She's smart, sexy, and much to Will's surprise, she is in love with him. But the course of love never did run smooth, and soon devotion -- and its uglier manifestations -- lead Will to a dark place within himself.

Elsewhere in the city, Helen is an actress -- or she will be some day. For now, she finds work as a "model" -- or whatever her online acquaintances need her to be. Her real name is Clair, but she desperately wants to be someone new, someone glamorous and real -- someone worth something.

A love story with a twist, this exuberant and funny debut novel brings Will and Helen's lives together in a tale as tight as a rope and as black as tar. Sharp, playful, and brimming over with wicked comedy, The Bird Room heralds the arrival of a major new literary talent.