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Max Porter's debut novel, "Grief is the Thing with Feathers," packs an emotional landslide into its slim 100 pages. The book features a grief-stricken father and his two young sons, unmoored by a great loss.

Sarcastic, wise and ripped from the pages of folklore, Crow tells the father that he will be there as long as he is needed.

The imaginary bird watches over the ravaged family, negotiating a path through their trauma. Porter joined MPR News host Kerri Miller to discuss the novel, and the origins of Crow.

Grief, Porter said, "is completely unique, and it's as unique as the human brain. There is not a template for thinking about it or dealing with it."

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In Max Porter's debut novel, a crow arrives on the doorstep of a family stricken with grief.

Max Porter's debut book is two parts novel, one part poem. It tells the story of a grief-stricken family from three points of view. One of those views is from an imaginary crow who shows up on the doorstep one day.  Crow tells the widowed father he'll be there until he's no longer needed.

'Grief Is the Thing with Feathers': Weaving mourning and magic

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