A young man visits his childhood friend in a mental asylum to try to convince him he's not actually a bird. Loyalty, isolation, the Vietnam war, bird erotica... You'd never believe they could all blend together so beautifully, and yet. Not a well-known book, but almost won the Pulitzer, and with good reason. Well-written and intriguing. (The film features Nicholas Cage in an early role. It was a sign of things to come.)