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A review by hollyd19
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This atmospheric and suspenseful novel centers on Franny Stone as she follows the last migration of Arctic terns south from Greenland in a near-future world where we are deeper into the climate crisis and only a handful of wild animal species remain. To do so, she talks her way onto one of the few remaining commercial fishing vessels and convinces them to track the terns as a last-ditch effort to find whatever fish are left in the sea.
McConaghy has crafted an eerie and emotionally charged novel wrapped around an uneasy narrator. Franny’s past unspools slowly in flashbacks throughout the book, delivered like a slowly dispersing fog. Her unfettered, willful nature ties the years together as we learn about her unconventional marriage to Niall Lynch, a disarming professor passionate about conservation.
I found the start of the book a little slow, in part because the characters were so nebulous that it was hard to grasp onto anything. However, as the story and its players came into clearer focus, I only became more intrigued. I was specifically struck by the nature of Franny and Niall’s relationship: at once capricious and remarkably committed, their tenderness and mutual understanding was such a beautiful ember in the midst of an otherwise cold and gray world.
Part of the power of this novel is the way McConaghy’s writing evokes the visceral nature of Franny’s pull to wander and the depth of her self-condemnation. Her split desires and war with her own body are memorably crafted. There were quite a few excerpts I wrote down because the writing was both beautiful & sharp. Also, the setting is remarkably unsettling, conjuring an ambience of entirely-realistic destruction.
McConaghy has crafted an eerie and emotionally charged novel wrapped around an uneasy narrator. Franny’s past unspools slowly in flashbacks throughout the book, delivered like a slowly dispersing fog. Her unfettered, willful nature ties the years together as we learn about her unconventional marriage to Niall Lynch, a disarming professor passionate about conservation.
I found the start of the book a little slow, in part because the characters were so nebulous that it was hard to grasp onto anything. However, as the story and its players came into clearer focus, I only became more intrigued. I was specifically struck by the nature of Franny and Niall’s relationship: at once capricious and remarkably committed, their tenderness and mutual understanding was such a beautiful ember in the midst of an otherwise cold and gray world.
Part of the power of this novel is the way McConaghy’s writing evokes the visceral nature of Franny’s pull to wander and the depth of her self-condemnation. Her split desires and war with her own body are memorably crafted. There were quite a few excerpts I wrote down because the writing was both beautiful & sharp. Also, the setting is remarkably unsettling, conjuring an ambience of entirely-realistic destruction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Suicide, and Abandonment
Minor: Child death and Pregnancy