I never thought I would love a book about birds as much as I did this one. Set in a near-future version of our world, in which almost all the animals have gone extinct, Franny Lynch sets off on a quest to follow the arctic tern on what might be the species’ last migration. But while the story of these birds is an important part of this book, this is more a story of Franny and her grief. Franny is on her own type of migration and it was a pleasure to be brought into her head as she travels.

The book alternates timelines, between the present and flashbacks to parts of Franny’s adult life. Through these flashbacks, a mystery of what exactly is motivating Franny to follow the terns unravels. What starts out appearing to be a simple scientific mission becomes so much more.

This is very much a character-driven novel. I loved hearing things from Franny’s perspective but also enjoyed the rich secondary characters of the novel. If anything, I wanted a little more from the ship’s crew, particularly Ennis.

The only thing that prevented me from giving this 5 stars was Franny’s relationship with Niall. I struggled with whether we were meant to view it as toxic, but it felt like that at times, and I wish that aspect had been acknowledged more. Overall, though, I loved Franny’s character and the journey she went on, both physically and metaphorically.

Thanks to Flatiron Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

TW: suicide; suicidal ideation; attempted sexual assault; loss of a child.