Review: Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
Published by Flatiron Books on August 4th 2020
Genres: Fiction, Literary, Women
Pages: 272
Format: eARC
Source: the publisher
Goodreads

Franny Stone is a wanderer; she has been all her life.  She can't bear to set still one moment, even in sleep she's walking.

Climate change is wiping out species. Franny's latest destination is to find the world's last flock of Arctic terns and follow their final migration.  She has trekked to Greenland with a the hope of gaining transport aboard a ship that will help her reach her destination.  She convinces the captain and the crew of the fishing vessel Saghani to take her onboard, promising the birds will lead them to fish.

As the journey progresses,  Franny's past is slowly revealed, as is the true purpose behind her journey.  A completely transfixing story of the steps one will take for the one they love.

I chose to read this novel as a palette cleanser of sorts, something to break up some of the darker thrillers I’ve been reading lately.  Within the first dozen pages or so, I knew I’d come across my first five-star book of the year.

Franny’s character is wrought with loss and a lack of stability. Her love and respect for birds is easy to understand, for her need to take flight is undeniable.  Early on, the reader knows she’s recovering from the loss of someone, but who?  Her mother? Her father?  Her stillborn daughter? Even Franny herself doesn’t really comprehend the power of the loss she is confronting.

I found myself immediately captivated by this novel.  I honestly don’t have an interest in birds, and find it shocking that other reviews can’t see past that to see the true beauty in what McConaghy has written.  The birds are Franny’s passion, her vehicle for attempting to comprehend all that has been taken from her.  They are her only tried and true sense of stability.  Their path is reliable, while her own is the complete opposite.

Ignore any claims that this is a clunky novel; it is everything but that. Don’t discount it because it’s a “climate novel.” Rather, sit back and witness the beauty of the message this author is attempting to relay. You will be handsomely rewarded.  Highly, highly recommended.