Harare Review of Books

256 pages.

First published in 2020.

Finished reading on 7 Sept 2020.

Genre: Fiction (with a hint of cli-fi).

Franny Stone has always been the kind of woman who is able to love but unable to stay. Leaving behind everything but her research gear, she arrives in Greenland with a singular purpose: to follow the last Arctic terns in the world on what might be their final migration to Antarctica. Franny talks her way onto a fishing boat, and she and the crew set sail, traveling ever further from shore and safety. But as Franny’s history begins to unspool—a passionate love affair, an absent family, a devastating crime—it becomes clear that she is chasing more than just the birds. When Franny’s dark secrets catch up with her, how much is she willing to risk for one more chance at redemption?

Epic and intimate, heartbreaking and galvanizing, Charlotte McConaghy’s Migrations is an ode to a disappearing world and a breathtaking page-turner about the possibility of hope against all odds.

It’s true that it seems to me that I cry fairly often while reading, but sometimes it’s because a book has genuinely made me cry. (Ha.) This one did. A heart-wrenching story about love and loss in a changing world, it has stayed with me since I read it, and I highly recommend it if you enjoy literary fiction. It was possibly my top fiction read that year. What a beautiful book.

Be patient with the build-up; the reward is worth it.

Rated: 10/10.