Margaret Renkl
Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss by Margaret Renkl is a series of autobiographical vignettes about growing up in Alabama with three generations of her family. She couples these essays with her detailed observations of nature. The essays, varying in length between a few lines to a few pages, are poignant and heartfelt.
Renkl has been a keen observer of nature from childhood. Her insights into birds, animals, and insects bleed into her understanding of the interconnectedness of all life. She describes in detail the shapes, sizes, colors, migratory patterns, and parenting habits of different birds—details that can only come from years of astute observation. She provides new born creatures with shelter and camouflage from predators. And although she recognizes nature can be red in tooth and claw, she also sees the beauty and wonder in what many of us will gloss over as the most mundane sights in nature. The lens with which she views the natural world shines with compassion and tenderness.
Juxtaposed throughout her observations of nature are anecdotes about and conversations with her family. Renkl grew up in a cushion of love and comfort showered on her by her parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. Secure in her place in the world, she infuses her words with the unconditional love and gratitude she feels for her family as a child and for her husband and children as an adult.
The different threads intertwine, bounce off, and enhance one another. Running throughout is a circular concept of time, of beginnings that lead to endings that lead to new beginnings; of births, deaths, and new births; of the cycle of life brought about by time and seasonal changes. Renkl also acknowledges the resilience of nature. Birds and butterflies that disappear one year may appear unexpectedly the following year. The most one can do is make the necessary preparations to nurture their re-appearance and sit back patiently and wait. If you’re lucky, they will circle back.
The essays are poignant, heartfelt, warm, tender, and inspiring. The writing is magical, the tone, intimate. The illustrations by Billy Renkl, the author’s brother, are beautiful in their simplicity and elegance. A book to be read slowly and savored.