REVIEW: ‘Migrations,’ a novel by Charlotte McConaghy
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Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy may be the book of the year. This thoughtful and endlessly fascinating narrative about the personal and global effects of climate change is a tremendous literary effort, one laced with believable, one-of-a-kind characters and poignant commentary about the environmental crisis the world finds itself facing.
At the center of the story is Franny Stone, whose personal motivations and professional ambitions remain much of a mystery throughout the unfolding fabric of McConaghy’s writing. She is first introduced to the reader on a quiet outpost in remote Greenland, where she is seeking out the migratory patterns of the final flock of terns left in the world. As these seabirds are described — in beautiful, forlorn language — one starts to realize that Migrations is set in a world that perhaps at one time felt like science fiction, but now simply feels like science. Species are dying off, the full unraveling of global warming is taking shape and the generational response needed to stop the advance into destruction seems to too little too late.
But Fanny is determined. She wants to find those terns, but she needs a vessel in order to track their migratory patterns. That’s where Ennis Malone comes into the picture. He’s a salty sea captain who leads the Saghani, a fishing boat, with a ragtag group of international anglers. Fanny is determined to find the birds, and Ennis and his crew are determined to find what few fish are left. Luckily, their two ambitions seem to go hand in hand because the birds will follow the fish, and that’s the pitch Fanny uses to get on the boat. She’ll help find the birds, and the fish will (hopefully) be within striking distance.
As this main storyline unfolds, Fanny’s mysterious past is also stitched into the literary fabric. There are questions about her home life, her upbringing, her marriage and how she became so determined to find these terns. As Fanny travels across the ocean to find these final birds, the reader travels deeper into her past, learning not only about her personal story but also hints at what might have gone wrong on the global scale. Spoiler alert: Climate change is real, and it’s human-made.
Migrations feels like a powerful story simply because of its interesting characters and unique plot, but it has an added measure of poignancy given the current climate crisis and how the world seems to be rampaging its way toward McConaghy’s final destination. Think how powerful these words are a few days after a U.S. presidential debate in which the incumbent refuses to acknowledge human-made climate change as a reality. Think of how important science has become in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Think of the mass extinction that is occurring right now and how some animals are dying off without mention in the mainstream press and nary a swan song from the world’s population. Think of the fires burning in California and the hurricanes creeping their way across the Atlantic Ocean.
McConaghy’s words are prescient and powerful. They invigorate, and at the same time they serve as a clarion call for action.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy. Flatiron Books. 272 pages. Click here for more information.
