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A review by singlier
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy 5/5 🕊️ s
I finished this book last week and its still been on my mind so I figured it was time to sit down and write about it. Just...wow. This book is probably the best I've listened to this year. Its also, without a doubt, the saddest.
This book follows the life of a woman named Franny, who hopes to follow the last migration of the Arctic Tern, the longest migrating bird in the world, from the North Pole to the South Pole. In order to do so, she hitches a ride on a fishing vessel, exchanging her knowledge of the bird's path (and the schools of fish they feast on) for travel.
In this bleak future, the animals of the planet are dying. Due to extreme climate change, most major animal species have gone extinct (save those used for human production and consumption), and there is little incentive to stop the decline save for the resources of a select group of researchers, who Franny's husband belongs to.
However, throughout her journey to follow the Terns the reader gains access to moments in Franny's life that show how lonely, distraught, and traumatized she is: her soul is built to wander, never comfortable in one place too long, and the toll it takes on herself (as she tries to conform) and her loved ones (who ache to watch her go). She tracks down estranged family in search of her lost mother, and recalls the coldness (and strength) of her paternal grandmother who raised her. She builds a rapport with the crew whose ship she boards, and for once in her life, finds a place where she does not feel the need to run from. It paints a heartbreaking portrait of a woman who spent her whole life finding happiness, and the trials she goes through to carve it out for herself. It is a story of love, most of all, and the love for things that are long gone.
I finished this book last week and its still been on my mind so I figured it was time to sit down and write about it. Just...wow. This book is probably the best I've listened to this year. Its also, without a doubt, the saddest.
This book follows the life of a woman named Franny, who hopes to follow the last migration of the Arctic Tern, the longest migrating bird in the world, from the North Pole to the South Pole. In order to do so, she hitches a ride on a fishing vessel, exchanging her knowledge of the bird's path (and the schools of fish they feast on) for travel.
In this bleak future, the animals of the planet are dying. Due to extreme climate change, most major animal species have gone extinct (save those used for human production and consumption), and there is little incentive to stop the decline save for the resources of a select group of researchers, who Franny's husband belongs to.
However, throughout her journey to follow the Terns the reader gains access to moments in Franny's life that show how lonely, distraught, and traumatized she is: her soul is built to wander, never comfortable in one place too long, and the toll it takes on herself (as she tries to conform) and her loved ones (who ache to watch her go). She tracks down estranged family in search of her lost mother, and recalls the coldness (and strength) of her paternal grandmother who raised her. She builds a rapport with the crew whose ship she boards, and for once in her life, finds a place where she does not feel the need to run from. It paints a heartbreaking portrait of a woman who spent her whole life finding happiness, and the trials she goes through to carve it out for herself. It is a story of love, most of all, and the love for things that are long gone.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail