Migratory Animals - by Mary Helen Specht (Paperback)

About the Book

A February 2015 Indie Next Selection

A January Apple iBook Selection

An Austin American-Statesman Selects Book

A powerful debut novel about a group of 30-somethings struggling for connection and belonging, Migratory Animals centers on a protagonist who finds herself torn between love and duty.

When Flannery, a young scientist, is forced to return to Austin from five years of research in Nigeria, she becomes split between her two homes. Having left behind her loving fiance without knowing when she can return, Flan 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: an ambitious life of 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, each of her friends has faced unexpected challenges that make them reevaluate the lives they d always planned for themselves.

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

Book Synopsis

Winner of the Texas Institute of Letters Award and the
Writer's League of Texas Fiction Award - An Indie Next Selection - An Austin American-Statesman Selects Book

A powerful debut novel about a group of 30-somethings
struggling for connection and belonging, Migratory Animals centers on a
protagonist who finds herself torn between love and duty.
When Flannery, a young scientist, is
forced to return to Austin from five years of research in Nigeria, she becomes
split between her two homes. Having left behind her loving fiancé without
knowing when she can return, Flan 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: an ambitious life of 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, each of her friends has 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.

From the Back Cover

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 fiancé 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.

Review Quotes

"An ambitious, highly accomplished debut novel. . . . Specht moves among a deep cast of characters and corresponding perspectives with absolute mastery. This is the best kind of novel, one that's filled with knowledge--about America, Africa, climate change, weaving, and snow, just to name a few of the core concerns of this fine book. But most important, and impressive, is Specht's sure handling of the interior life, and the ways in which we help to make or break those around us." - Ben Fountain, author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
"Mary Helen Specht's lyrical novel reminds me of the work of both Claire Messud and Barbara Kingsolver. Migratory Animals is a luminous debut about a group of young friends finding their place in the world. Rich with love and heartbreak, it's the book I'll be wanting to share with all my friends." - Amanda Eyre Ward, author of How To Be Lost
"In prose as quirky and elegant as its characters, Specht proves that -- after confusion, missteps, even denial -- a village can embrace you. Each of these characters set on saving the world in his or her fine-tuned way is forced to face the bad news life inevitably delivers. One by one, they lower their sights and love each other fiercely, protectively, making a community more beautiful than the one they first envisioned because it's real. This big, dreamy novel flies by as swift as time." - Debra Monroe, author of On the Outskirts of Normal
"This emotionally nuanced debut shimmers with all the intricate, singular beauty of the snow crystals that beguile Flannery, one of the novel's many unforgettable characters. The men and women of Mary Helen Specht's imagination inhabit a world of breathtaking vividness, where life's pains and pleasures ripple through to marvelous effect. A heartbreaking, edifying, and resonant work of art." - Keija Parssinen, author of The Ruins of Us
"An emotionally nuanced debut. . . . The men and women of Mary Helen Specht's imagination inhabit a world of breathtaking vividness, where life's pains and pleasures ripple through to marvelous effect. A heartbreaking, edifying, and resonant work of art." - Keija Parssinen, author of The Ruins of Us
"An ambitious, highly accomplished debut. . . . Specht moves among a deep cast of characters and corresponding perspectives with absolute mastery. . . . Most important, and impressive, is Specht's sure handling of the interior life." - Ben Fountain, author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
"Specht's strong, nuanced prose reveals heartfelt insights into her bevy of characters, ensuring a memorable and touching read." - Texas Observer
"A promising debut. . . . One of the novel's wonders is the way Specht illustrates her characters -- not with great globs of exposition, but with quick, economical brushstrokes." - Dallas Morning News
"Specht's vivid debut probes the nature of family, the notion of home, and the tender burdens of both. . . . Specht's distinctive prose -- rich with sharp observations, nimble language, and lyrical imagery -- makes the novel a quirky and memorable read." - Publishers Weekly
"Delightfully ambitious. . . . Specht perfectly captures the minute details of contemporary life in a certain social niche. . . . Novels of such scope and ambition, inspecting the way we encounter the wider world today, are rare." - Joanna Rakoff, The New York Times Book Review
"A memorable novel. . . . The characters represent a specific place and a specific era, but their travails and truths are universal and timeless." - San Antonio Express-News
"Migratory Animals brings to the page an astonishing admixture of ambitiousness, originality, and authority that's rare among established writers and exceptional for a first effort. . . . Specht's portrait of an otherwise healthy mentally ill woman is as profound and as skillful as those found in "depression classics" like William Styron's Darkness Visible and Kay Redfield Jamison's An Unquiet Mind. . . . Richly layered and psychologically incisive, Migratory Animals is that rare first novel that leaves the reader clamoring for the next." - The Boston Globe
"Migratory Animals brings to the page an astonishing admixture of ambitiousness, originality, and authority that's rare among established writers and exceptional for a first effort. . . . Richly layered and psychologically incisive, it is that rare first novel that leaves the reader clamoring for the next." - The Boston Globe
"A finely wrought first novel. . . . Specht weaves fascinating details on snowflakes, weaving, birding, genetics and engineering, plus a spot-on-portrait of Austin." - Kirkus
"Mary Helen Specht's lyrical novel reminds me of the work of both Claire Messud and Barbara Kingsolver. . . . A luminous debut. . . . Rich with love and heartbreak, it's the book I'll be wanting to share with all my friends." - Amanda Eyre Ward, author of How to Be Lost
"A beautifully precise group portrait in which Mary Helen Specht manages to capture not just a particular set of characters but a generational mood and moment. Without forcing any answers, it asks a powerful, probing question: how should you behave when life suddenly gets real?" - Stephen Harrigan, author of Remember Ben Clayton
"A beautifully precise group portrait in which Mary Helen Specht manages to capture not just a particular set of characters but a generational mood and moment. . . . Without forcing any answers, it asks a powerful, probing question: how should you behave when life suddenly gets real?" - Stephen Harrigan, author of Remember Ben Clayton
"A novel of tremendous scope and insight that succeeds both as an exploration of larger global concerns and an acute examination of the most intimate parts of our lives. Mary Helen Specht is a terrific writer -- passionate and generous, wry and insightful -- and Migratory Animals is a wonderful and very moving debut." - Molly Antopol, author of The UnAmericans
"A novel of tremendous scope and insight that succeeds both as an exploration of larger global concerns and an acute examination of the most intimate parts of our lives. Mary Helen Specht is a terrific writer -- passionate and generous, wry and insightful. A very moving debut." - Molly Antopol, author of The UnAmericans
"In prose as quirky and elegant as its characters, Specht proves that -- after confusion, missteps, even denial -- a village can embrace you. . . . This big, dreamy novel flies by as swift as time." - Debra Monroe, author of On the Outskirts of Normal