Thursday, January 22, 2015

Jackie's Very Impressed With This Debut Novel


When Flannery, a young scientist, is forced to return to Austin after five years of research in Nigeria, she becomes torn between her two homes. Having left behind her loving fiance without knowing when she will return, Flannery learns that her sister, Molly, has begun to show signs of the genetic disease that slowly killed their mother.

As their close-knit circle of friends struggles with Molly's diagnosis, Flannery must grapple with what her future will hold: love and the pursuit of scientific discovery in West Africa, or the pull of a life surrounded by old friends, the comfort of an old flame, family obligations, and the home she's always known. But she is not the only one wrestling with uncertainty. Since their college days, all of her friends have faced unexpected challenges that make them reevaluate the lives they'd always planned for themselves.

A mesmerizing debut from an exciting young writer, Migratory Animals is a moving, thought-provoking novel, told from shifting viewpoints, about the meaning of home and what we owe each other--and ourselves.



Read an interview with the author HERE.

Jackie says:
"This book reminded me over and over again of the now ancient TV drama "Thirtysomething" (look it up, youngsters). It's about the long standing friends who have now hit the 30s and the problems--illness, divorce, old flames, new lovers, money problems, career problems, kids and the lack of them, etc. The good and the bad are offered in here, and the pages fly as you get more attached to these characters (and sometimes a bit angry with others). It's a strong debut, and I'll be keeping my ear out for her next book."

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