In the last few weeks Charlotte McConaghy has become one of my all-time favorite authors. I devoured both Once There Were Wolves and Migrations. Her writing is perfection. I awkwardly fan-girl-messaged her on Instagram to find out details about what she’s working on next. She even responded!
(Image from amazon.com)
Migrations weaves an emotionally wrenching tale of Franny, a troubled woman with no shortage of trauma in her life. It is set sometime within the not-too-far future in which most animals are now extinct or on their way to being so. Franny fixates her interest on the arctic tern, a small bird that makes the longest migration of any animal in history.
While Franny seeks the tern by joining a group of fisherman, she also seeks healing and closure. The story transitions back and forth between different points in her life, but does so in an organized and exquisite way. I will post about Once There Were Wolves in the next few weeks, and will be eagerly awaiting McConaghy’s next work, due out in 2023.
A HOUSE WITH CHARACTER 