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“Migration is my favorite kind of love story, the kind that makes you dog-ear pages and call old friends and stumble outside with eyes newly tuned to the fluttering world."—Erica Berry, author of Wolfish
A stunning debut memoir examining the end of a marriage and the path to self-discovery—and the wisdom of birds that guides the way.
After the heartbreaking and surprisingly swift end of her marriage, Elizabeth Grey surveys the remnants of a life no longer hers and wonders, “Which self goes on living after it ends? And who is she anyway, when she is not a part of us?” Stunned and unmoored, she begins to disentangle her life from what she once called home. From the Oregon coast awash in sea spray to the blufftop meadows in rural Wisconsin, Grey embarks on a migratory journey to rediscover the boundaries of herself.
Leaning on the wisdom of birds, she searches for a place to call her own and learns to let the beauty of a former life live on without remaining tethered to the past. She witnesses a kildeer collecting scraps to make her tiny square of earth beautiful and learns of the bar-tailed godwit and the impressive 7,000-mile flight between her wintering grounds and where she will attempt a nest. Grey calls attention to moments in nature that are often overlooked, pausing to inhale the spectacular: waking in a hammock to discover a lone feather on her belly; an egg cracked into a pan, revealing a double yolk; poppies and wild mustard; a painfully beautiful blue sky. She pauses and notices—and each serendipitous occasion sparks awakening, guiding her toward the person she is becoming.
Illustrated beautifully throughout, and with writing that sings from the page, “a western meadowlark crying in exaltation of spring,” Migration is a love letter to solitude and beauty, a poignant meditation on discovering meaning and solace in the teachings of the avian world.
“This tender and knowing memoir understands how sorrow and beauty can occupy the same space—and neither cancels the other out. Migration is full of the ache of loving what may not stay, but it is also full of the small astonishments that keep a person tethered to this world. Grey pays such close and generous attention to the more-than-human lives around her, which feels both heartbreaking and grateful—which is to say, beautifully alive.”—Aimee Nezhukumatathil, author of World of Wonders
“Elizabeth Grey counts on birds more than she counts them. As a list of bird species carries us through her life, a certain migratory restlessness, zugunruhe, invites us to read more deeply into her identity and the birds’ roles in defining who she is. It is an artfully magnificent convergence, a life list for a life lived, birds identifying human—no binoculars required.”—J. Drew Lanham, author of The Home Place
“Migration is as lush and gorgeous as its landscapes, narrated with candor and intimacy—a truly beautiful book.”—Claire Lombardo, author of The Most Fun We Ever Had
“Migration is my favorite kind of love story, the kind that makes you dog-ear pages and call old friends and stumble outside with eyes newly tuned to the fluttering world. Elizabeth Grey writes with astounding lyrical precision, and this book—a journey through time and birds and heartache—is a gift to anyone who has ever loved.”—Erica Berry, author of Wolfish