Heartbreaking and heart-stealing, this bestselling modern-day fable is an unforgettable novel about sorrow, joy, friendship and love. This is an out-and-out character-oriented novel. Such stories are tougher to carry out successfully, but the author does a splendid job.

This is a book about a lot of things – grief, hope, friendship, love. It’s also about what you’d do if you stumbled into the woods at dawn, found something extraordinary there, and decided to take it home. I'd been hearing so many wonderful things about this book, the book with the egg, the debut that has everybody talking and ok WOW, I get it: what a special little book this is! This is a deceptively complex novel; a skillful sleight of hand which charms us so fully with its accessible and hugely sympathetic two-hander that we become unaware of what it’s doing under the surface. One of the hallmarks of timeless, classic fiction is to make the specific universal, and stripped of its outer eccentricities this is exactly what Palmer’s novel does. For Isaac is both himself and all of us: in our particular capacity to both love and lose what we love and to grieve its absence in absolutely human ways.From the bright yellow cover to the creative use of fonts, this book is something out of the ordinary. It is one of those books where it’s better not to know anything about it and just go along for the ride, and what a ride it is. Suspend disbelief and rational thought and embrace incredulity, madness, and mayhem, and you will “find hope in the unexpected”. Little by little the story of how Isaac has arrived in this particularly murky pit of despair is imparted to the reader with aha moments coming as a relief. The story revolves around a tragic incident and the arrival of an unexpected guest who is an absolute delight, incredibly quirky, but showing great compassion and sensitivity. Knowing that this kindly presence cannot stay forever adds a bittersweet element which makes you want to proceed slowly and at times hold your breath. Film buffs will also find much to enjoy and will nod and smile at the mention of family favourites and well-known quotes. Isaac and the Egg is a story of love and loss and heart-wrenching grief, but it simultaneously shines with a mesmerising mash-up of hope, fun, humour and wonder. Michelle, VIC, 4 Stars An arresting debut novel about grief, but in the most wonderfully oblique way’ REVEREND RICHARD COLES One of the most eagerly awaited books of the year . . . an incredibly moving and at times heartbreaking - and sometimes funny - book' HELLO! For the first half of this book I was unsure if this was fantasy or reality, or if I even liked it. By the second half of the book I was captivated and couldn’t put it down. Never before have I read a book quite like it – beautifully lyrical, warm and yet sad, leaving question upon question. In parts I laughed. In other parts I thought “what on earth is this about?” and as the story unravelled and we learned more about Isaac Addy, I sobbed and sobbed. If you are looking for a book that pulls on the heartstrings in a touching and uniquely creative way – this is it. Nicole, NSW, 4 Stars This is an audiobook about a lot of things - grief, hope, friendship, love. It's also about what you'd do if you stumbled into the woods at dawn, found something extraordinary there, and decided to take it home.

One of the most eagerly awaited books of the year . . . an incredibly moving and at times heartbreaking – and sometimes funny – book’ HELLO!

Isaac Addy is in een diep, donker dal beland, een dal waarin geen licht lijkt te kunnen doordringen. Sinds de dood van zijn grote liefde lijkt alles leeg en uitzichtloos en hij probeert zichzelf te verdoven om maar niets te hoeven voelen, hij heeft vrijwel iedereen van zich afgeduwd, verwaarloost zichzelf, is erg depressief en weet niet of hij nog wil leven. Op een dag staat hij op een brug, hij twijfelt of hij moet springen en hij schreeuwt… en dan schreeuwt er iets terug. Unique and very special is how I’d describe it, and a book you will probably always remember with great fondness and a lasting impression – I know I will. So, what do you do when you read (and listen) to a book that you want the whole world to read, but you don't want to tell them too much about it, because this book is one of the most personal books that I have come across in a long time and it is a book that is best started with absolutely no preconceived ideas. 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. It was a light and joyous read. The story gives you hope, that even when you are at your lowest point there is always hope and people/things that are there to lend you a helping hand. Jen, NSW, 4 Stars

It can’t be completely definitive of course because grief is wholly and utterly different for every person, which includes the book’s protagonist Isaac Addy, a late-twenties illustrator of children’s books and other things, who suddenly finds his world upended when tragedy befalls him. It's a tale that might seem familiar. But how it speaks to you will depend on how you've lived until now. Isaac's emotional distress is expressed through the quiet as he struggles to live through his grief, shunning all company except that of Egg. I read it in one breath… true and tragic and funny and hopeful and big – big enough somehow to contain all of our stories and all of our lives inside it’ JOANNA GLEN There are ET vibes and there are laugh out loud moments, but the beauty of this book is in its perfectly paced reveal and the intricate weave between what is real and what is imagined.

As this was the audio book I listened to, I’ll cover the audio aspect first. It was the narrators wonderful voice that captured both my interest in listening to a book for a change, and capturing my interest in the story itself. I listened to a sample first, and by the time the sample had finished I had to know more of what happened next and what this story was about. It sounded so sad and of course by now I was hooked into the brilliant story telling by Johnny Flynn. That kind of stuff only happens in certain kinds of books and movies, and while they are wonderful and necessary offering escapist loveliness that gives a finger in the nice candy-coated of ways to life’s blisteringly hard realities, Isaac and the Egg is not that kind of story.

This book is just sublime . . . It will be a crime if millions of people haven’t read it this time next year Powerful, hopeful and utterly extraordinary, this is a truly original tale of love and loss, told with warmth and imaginative humour, from an unforgettable new voice in fiction. Isaac stands alone on a bridge and screams into the river below. And then, an answer. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Headline PG, for the ARC in return for providing an impartial review. I don’t think anyone other than Johnny Flynn could have read this book. His dulcet tones made the book even more magical and I’ll certainly listen to it again in the future.My thanks to Headline Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “Isaac and the Egg”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook. Isaac And The Egg is a charming story about Isaac and the egg he meets in a forest at a terrible point in his life. It’s funny, sad and makes for an engrossing read. Isaac’s story involves grief and despair but also hope. It would be a good book for bookclubs as there is a lot to discuss and plenty of themes to explore. It’s a wonderful debut novel. Julie, NSW, 5 Stars Isaac is a widower and he’s struggling. On a visit to the woods, he happens across a very large egg and without a second thought he takes it home and settles into a bizarre domesticity with the egg. This is beautifully written, it’s captivating with a delightful blend of humour and the heart breaking. Some scenes are so vivid, so well described you feel like a fly on the wall observing the frequent chaos. Many of the incidents make me smile and I doubt I’ll ever open a tin of beans or look at a toaster in the same way ever again!!!! It’s creative in a myriad of ways, it initially seems straightforward but it’s a more complex tale than it appears at first glance. I love the clever use of film to make pertinent points and the delightful originality of some of the language.