When we meet Isaac he’s not in a good place: he’s intoxicated, dishevelled, and thinking about throwing himself off a bridge. He’s reached the absolute bottom until he hears an unnatural, pained scream that pulls him out of his own pain. The scream, he discovers, has come from an egg which ‘sits resplendent in the middle of a clearing, bathed in a heavenly light which seems to defy the darkness of the night before’.

Isaac has no idea where the egg has come from or what it’s doing there but he’s overcome with the need to protect it, so he bundles it up and takes it home.

What follows are some incredibly strange adventures which reveal the huge amount of pain Isaac is carrying. And while some parts are truly absurd, within Isaac’s world it all seems completely believable because his grief is so consuming and powerful that it feels real that he’s on the verge of despair or insanity.

This is a book that demands to be read in one sitting. Giving yourself wholeheartedly to the story and where it takes you is the best way to feel the real magic Isaac and the Egg has to offer.

If you enjoyed A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness or Grief is the Thing with Feather by Max Porter put this book to the top of your reading pile. It will break your heart and fill it with hope all at the same time.

Reviewed by Anabel Pandiella