A beautiful and unusual story about grief.

Here is Isaac, facing the worst time of his life, on the verge of ending things he comes across an egg, which changes his life.

Isaac and the Egg - Bobby Palmer

I didn't know what I was getting into at the beginning of this book, but very much enjoyed being taken on a journey with Isaac and especially Egg. Isaac is at an extremely low point when he meets Egg for the first time, and we follow them on an interesting ride together, I personally appreciated the humor that was found even in the darkest of circumstances. I was not sure if this book would be for me as I usually find it difficult to read around these particular topics but found that this take on them made it really accessible for me. I will think of Isaac but mainly Egg for long time to come! Thank you Netgalley, Headline and Bobby Palmer for the e-arc in return for my honest thoughts and opinions.

Isaac is at a very low ebb indeed when the egg first enters his life.. But what is the egg? Is it even really an egg? After all, it has fur, has long arms and can walk and talk (at least in a fashion), not normally qualities associated with an egg. Is it human? Is it an alien? Does it exist at all or is it a figment of Isaac's imagination?
Isaac and the Egg is a wonderful, beautifully written novel. Very far from being a curate's egg itself, this is intelligent, funny, weird and ultimately profoundly moving.

I’ve heard only good things about this book, so I knew it had to be one to read. Whilst it was not my typical read, was a little strange at times and was very sad, it really was a beautiful story about grief, heartbreak, friendship and love. We first meet Isaac Addy when he’s at his lowest following the death of his wife. He’s suicidal, struggling and alone. One day he walks into the woods and finds a screaming egg, which he ends up taking home. Isaac begins to form a bond with the egg, which develops into a friendship.

Now, I know this sounds very strange, and you may be like me and wonder where on earth the story is going...well, it does all becomes clear as the book moves on! There is also a great twist in the plot which I didn’t see coming. Whilst a screaming egg may seem a very odd subject matter, it works really well and Isaac and the Egg’s storyline will draw you in instantly. Be warned that it is a very sad story and my heart broke for Isaac on the loss of his beloved wife, Mary. The story does lighten as it moves on, but it still managed to keep me in tears well towards the end. I loved Egg, and strangely pictured it as a sort of white fluffy Minion! The relationship between Isaac and the Egg was so delightful, and whilst I started off slightly sceptical about the book, I ended up loving it and wanting to read it all again. Would recommend.

Some books you like, some books you love and some books just knock you for six.
Isaac and the Egg is a beautiful story of a young man who thinks he's lost everything and then egg comes into his life.
But just who, or what, is Egg? Would anyone else apart from Isaac be able to see Egg? Does Egg even exist?
All I know is that Egg existed for me and I was glad he was there for Isaac.
I know I'll be drawn back to this book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Headline Publishing Group for an advance copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this novel. Isaac and the Egg was an emotional but confusing read, maybe a little too confusing for me. The themes of mental health really resonated with me and make the book a tough read but there are also themes of friendship and love. I just found the whole thing with the egg a bit too out there for me?

I'm here to give this book a huge amount of praise for originality and heart- the prose is impeccable, and every character (central, peripheral, Egg-shaped, human, or otherwise) is presented with such clarity and emotion that I don't think I've experienced elsewhere recently. I was drawn to the humorous scenes, mainly involving beans on toast, and the slow progress of Isaac's emotions as he gradually peeled himself off the sofa.

It didn't quite click for me, though - the first half is extremely slow, perhaps intentionally bringing the reader further into the depths of Isaac's black hole. The second half of the story felt a bit too fast-paced to be believable, and once key facts around Mary's profession were revealed (a spoiler for the end) I felt the jig was up... and I was hoping for more development. I've seen a lot of reviewers saying that the audiobook version helped considerably with pacing issues, so perhaps I wasn't just quite as immersed as others.

Wow. Wow.
Ow my heart - Bobby who gave you the right?!

This book was fantastic, there’s no need for other words.
Another reviewer mentions this is “grown up ET with adult struggles at the core” and I couldn’t agree more.

You start the novel wondering what the egg is and where it came from, but in the end it matters not. A tear inducing, wonderful novel and I can’t wait to read more from Palmer. I feel the less you know the better, just go in with an open heart.

I hope it gets the recognition it deserves

I was completely mesmerised by Isaac's emotionally charged story - we first meet Isaac where he is contemplating ending his own life, when he is distracted by a scream in the forest. He follows the sound and finds a magical, almost super-real, enormous egg in the middle of a clearing, with no clue as to where it came from or who made it.

Isaac feels he has no option but to take Egg home to his empty house- and we soon find out what has been Isaac's emotional turmoil and heartbreak.

He comes to rely on Egg as a way of navigating his life as it is now. He also has to take care of it, giving him something to focus on other than his self-loathing and guilt. As Egg starts to morph into something less egg-like, the relationship between the two of them evolves into something utterly unique.

Isaac has family & friends trying to help him sort his life, but he cannot cope with their interventions. Instead he hides away with Egg, waiting for everyone to leave him alone - ignoring work, ignoring bills, deep in an overwhelming depression that seems unfathomable.

The story is unlike anything I've read before, and I loved it for that. The radical approach to telling Isaac's story has completely worked and I can't wait to see what Bobby Palmer comes up with next

Isaac and the Egg is one of the most heartfelt and true portrayals of grief I've ever read. Told in a quirky way we follow Isaac Addy who's recently been left bereaved by his wife and is struggling to get through his grief. After finding a strange Egg in a forest, Isacc takes it home and this is where the story takes flight. This is definitely a book everyone should read at some stage of their life to help them understand bereavement and loss in a way that's so hard to explain to anyone who's not experienced it. I loved Egg and the presence it had in Isaacs life, just when he needed it. This book melted my heart in so many ways I didn't think was possible, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read and share this with you all. Full of rawness and relatablity, I just fell in love with the characters and felt their grief and turmoil through every page. I'm sure this won't be a book for everyone but it was certainly a book for me!

I was really excited to read this book but it felt a little flat for me and just did not keep me interested. The writing style was not my fave and overall I just was not a fan.

I kept seeing this book everywhere, so I was very intrigued and was excited to read it for myself... however, i just didn't get it.
I know it was trying to be sentimental, deep and meaningful, with metaphors and deeper meanings but I just didn't get it. It clearly went right over my head. Think it was trying to be 'too clever'

I enjoyed the reading experience, but can't see this book staying with me.

Loseing someone can be hard an we all deal with it differently some better then others we find solitude in the smallest things this book was a rollercoaster of emotions up an downs you ever see comeing

A quirky, innovative and very creative debut novel depicting one man's journey through seemingly unbearable grief. Isaac's initial capacity to cope with his grief leads him into a fantasy world where he starts to process his grief with the aid of Egg. If you are not prepared to suspend disbelief then this one probably isn't for you but in my view it is definitely worth giving it a try.
A heart-warming novel that will make you laugh, cry and reflect in equal measure.
I am grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book and am leaving my review voluntarily.

A powerfully emotional journey that was sprinkled with so much top quality humour I was often caught sobbing yet laughing at the same time!

In this book we follow our lonely protagonist, Isaac, and follow him through his story as he struggles his way through overwhelming amounts of grief. Then along comes Egg, a quirky little fellow who keeps him company along the way, with a lot of wild and silly antics in between. I've never read a book like this one and I doubt I ever will again, this was a truly magical and original read that I kept thinking about long after I'd finished.

At less than three hundred pages, this is certainly a nice easy yet emotional read that I would highly recommend - it definitely gets five stars from me!

A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this copy in return for an honest review.

Such a difficult book to review but once I suspended disbelief and allowed myself to just follow the unexpected story I was hooked.
Stuck in the depths of grief, Isaac needs a hand which comes egg-shaped. Egg's humour/antics balanced out the harsh reality of Isaac's life making it an enjoyable read with unexpected twists and turns. Unique, emotional and raw entwined with visual humour, you're not going to read another book like it - ever

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Isaac & The Egg
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Bobby Palmer
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Contemporary Fiction
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 18th August 2022
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3.75/5

”Reality is fragile. All it takes is a gentle tap to break its shell.”

This is how I’d imagined E.T. if Elliott was a grown adult who’d lost his wife and any semblance of hope and positivity.

This book is a harrowing and profound insight into extreme grief and to be honest, I’m convinced the character is suffering from psychotic depression due to the trauma of Isaac’s loss.

There is no formal diagnosis made in the novel, but the suicidal thoughts, isolation, hallucinations, self harm, disassociation, and agitation are in keeping with the presentation of psychotic depression. It doesn’t account for the periods of lost time but I think perhaps the drinking could account for that.

Anyway, now that I’ve diagnosed the main character I should crack on with my review 😂. I thought that this was a very accurate representation of mental health and someone who is literally at rock bottom. It also meant I found it quite draining to read. Perhaps if I wasn’t working with mental health patients on wards then I wouldn’t have been so emotionally exhausted reading this.

However, there are so many positives with this book, it’s wonderfully written, is a debut worthy of applause, and is extremely original.

I had two faults. One, Isaac should have gone to a mental health ward, the options aren’t usually therapy or section it’s usually an informal admission or section. But this is me viewing the book through clinical lens. My second fault is that I really wish there had been more happy moments to counteract the intense grief. I found the humour too understated to bring any effective brightness to the dark, spiraling mind of Isaac.

Overall, this is an eggstraodinary tale of loss, love, and the choice to live another day.

𝑲𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉 @ 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒉 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒚
🧚‍♀️🤍

What a funny and touching book! This story is full of emotional moments and i really enjoyed the heartfelt way in which Isaac's story unravelled and we learned more about his situation, and the reason for his sadness.

Egg was a delightful character and it's antics made me giggle many a time throughout the book, bringing a light-hearted and humour feel to a book which covers some difficult topics.

A joy to read.

Oh what a gorgeous book. I didn't know what to make of it at first but I loved the ride. The ending wasn't my favourite - it felt sort of rushed and less thought out but I didn't even care. I loved this book and I'm so glad I read it when I did.
While I'm not a widow or dealing with a situation like Isaac's, I still related to this book and I feel it's going to stay with me throughout this next year which I believe is going to be rough. I'll think of this book, Egg, and keep going.

At only 288 pages long, I read Isaac and the Egg in just one sitting. I remember briefly acknowledging some general praise for the book across social media but I went in completely blind, which really added to my enjoyment of the book.

This modern-day fable is a heartwarming and widely imaginative tale of heartbreak, grief, hope, and friendship. When we first meet Isaac he has abandoned his car by the side of the road and is standing on top of a bridge completely broken and alone. I couldn’t help but picture George Bailey in his last moments of desperation. Holding on to the railings and contemplating suicide, he sobs and screams into the icy waves below… and something screams back. He follows the noise to a clearing in the woods and there he finds an egg.

Isaac and the Egg is an underrated classic that I wish more people were talking about. It’s a brutally honest depiction of grief and the story will resonate with anyone who has lost someone. It manages to find humour and light in even the darkest of circumstances. It’s a wonderfully wacky and beautiful read; something truly special and unique.