The unnamed narrator in The Vulnerables describes her life in 2020. During the first year of the pandemic, she is asked to take care of a friend’s parrot in the friend’s apartment in New York City. After she has bonded with the parrot, named Eureka, a previous “parrot sitter,” a young man who has been kicked out of his parent’s home, joins her in the apartment. Throughout the novel, the narrator discusses her thoughts on poetry, animals, politics and a host of other subjects.

Readers usually either like and appreciate Sigrid Nunez or find her writing too unconventional and confusing. I have not read all her works, but I’ve thought that the ones I’ve read, including The Vulnerables, are creative and provide food for thought.