[TW to follow - i'm sleepy]

Last year I read "The End Of Loneliness" (Benedict Wells) and sobbed like a baby, without being really sad. It was more a feeling of comfort, melancholy and knowing that some people just have it harder in life than others. I had a similar feeling with "Migrations", though this felt a lot more detached and solitary - which is not a bad thing at all.

The paralleling of our protagonist with the birds she's chasing into a harsh and unforgiving cold was very well done, and the slow unraveling of her backstory was handled gently and carefully, with Charlotte McConaghy managing to control my emotions precisely. I feel like this is a book that you can recommend to many people, because many people can relate to Franny and her quest to reach the end of the earth. The audiobook was a joy to listen to, with Barrie Kreinik breathing life into the entire cast without macking any one accent sound out of place.

I wish I had prettier words to describe this book, but I think I need to digest and reread it before I understand the full effect it had on me. All in all, I cannot believe this is an adult fiction debut novel.