''Owls Do Cry'' is a

modernist novel Modernist literature originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is characterised by a self-conscious separation from traditional ways of writing in both poetry and prose fiction writing. Modernism experimented with literary form a ...

by New Zealand author

Janet Frame Janet Paterson Frame (28 August 1924 – 29 January 2004) was a New Zealand author. She is internationally renowned for her work, which includes novels, short stories, poetry, juvenile fiction, and an autobiography, and received numerous award ...

. Published in 1957, the book covers the story of the Withers siblings, who live in a seaside town in the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

through a period of 20 years. The book extensively covers Daphne Withers' journey, including undergoing

lobotomy A lobotomy () or leucotomy is a discredited form of Neurosurgery, neurosurgical treatment for mental disorder, psychiatric disorder or neurological disorder (e.g. epilepsy, Depression in childhood and adolescence, depression) that involves sev ...

. ''Owls Do Cry'' is the first novel written by Frame and its content is loosely based on Frame's life, particularly her experience of spending eight years in and out of mental asylums, greatly influenced the content of the novel.

References

1957 novels 1957 debut novels Novels by Janet Frame Modernist novels {{1950s-novel-stub