Migratory Animals Novel Review

Migratory Animals by Mary Helen Specht, is both intensely dynamic and intensely good.

It tells the story of Flannery, a woman who has spent the last five years of her life running from the death of her mother. She does this by letting a series of research grants take her across the globe. She ends up in Nigeria where she falls in love and gets engaged, but this causes tension and a feeling of disconnection.

However this eventually comes to an end as she is forced to return to Austin wherein the lives of her family and college friends have not been going as planned, particularly as her younger sister is showing signs of the same degenerative disease that their mother died from.

Depression, the recession and unsuccessful love lives are some of the issues that have affected their lives as well as crushes and hang ups remaining from their school days.

Like many other popular books, such as Game of Thrones the story often changes viewpoint. Showing the lives and perspectives of the other characters, but is very good at that old adage ‘showing not telling’ as you can tell how these peoples lives have changed without boring exposition.

It has engaging and interesting use of language, utilising flashbacks and internal monologues to get inside the minds of the characters. It’s easy to imagine the lifestyles of the characters and to understand their emotions as many of the difficulties they have are not borne of inadequacy but rather circumstances beyond their control.

It is however “bohemian” as it is basically a novel about what would happen if a group of alternative people, grew up and entered the ‘real world’.

But it is also a story about loss, the loss of Flannery’s mother and the imminent loss of her sister are focal themes as is the debate of where Flannery will stay in Austin or Nigeria and where her ‘home’ truly is.

It’s an emotional book, but not heart-wrenching and it is grounded in reality, and the horrible reality of watching those you love die and being powerless to stop it. However more importantly what you do after that and your ability to cope.

All and all it is a satisfying novel that I would recommend reading.