Review: Birdie Pesky Was Here by Andrew Augustine Connor

A spiraling account of a fictional historical heist, Birdie Pesky Was Here: The Story of the Big Bad Buxom Blonde Boston Bank Boost by Andrew Augustine Connor is a rowdy and unpredictable thriller that teeters on the edge of believable from start to finish, making it easy to forget that this novel is a wildly creative piece of imagination.

Cash and Cary make for an unforgettable duo of safe crackers as they scheme their way around their debt to a dangerous don, with a dazzling balance of laissez-faire larceny and daring deeds. They are a delightfully odd couple, and genuinely enjoyable to watch as they muddle their way through an epic drag-themed armored car heist and countless narrow escapes on the road to literary – and international – infamy.

Birdie Pesky, on the other hand, is a rather average and awkward high-school student from a small East Coast town who’s trying to make his way in a rapidly changing world without being called a freak. That has proven difficult, considering the uncontrollable stress squawks he makes that earned him his odd nickname, and he has unique premonitions, or trances, which allow him to see a cut-up vision of the future he can then decode like an ancient seer.

These vastly different characters crash together in a clever Christmastime caper that dips its toes into the supernatural, without ever veering into the realm of the ridiculous. With countless chapters of exposition and backstory, it takes nearly half the book before these worlds collide, and while the pacing can sometimes feel slow, readers have a feeling that the denouement of this multilayered read will be worth the wait, and the story makes good on that promise.

From a technical standpoint, there are elements that could be improved in the execution. There are grammatical mistakes peppered throughout, such as misused words that wouldn’t be caught by spellcheck, but would certainly be noticed by a keen-eyed editor (“filed” vs. filled”). Connor also has a tendency to repeat words in bunches, and also leans on idiomatic phrases too often. The setting and time period of this novel come with a distinctly different pace and pattern of speech, but occasional anachronistic words or phrases break the trance of immersive storytelling.

The dialogue is also uneven, varying from incredibly colloquial to purposeful and flat. Connor attempts to capture the heavy accents of French-Canadian thieves, New York mafiosi, childhood bullies, and other colorful characters, but these moments are inconsistent, leading to some narrative confusion. Additionally, Connor’s narrative interjects a modern take on timeless issues, such as Dino’s well-articulated concerns about intelligent and unbiased media coverage, which tends to break the historical illusion.

These issues are only obvious because much of the writing is rich, rhythmic, and lyrical, highlighted by unique imagery and obvious attention to language. As a whole, Birdie Pesky Was Here is a witty and suspenseful plunge into the past that skillfully walks the edge of thriller and comedy.