Flight Behavior

Title: Flight Behavior

Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Reviewer: Lydia

I’ve never read anything by Barbara Kingsolver—a notable American author—and I was pleasantly surprised by Flight Behavior. It is a studious and meticulously rendered novel, filled with lush detail and description. However, the novel is far from stuffy, and it addresses cultural, gender, racial, and social issues in a relevant yet humorous way.

The story centers around Dellarobia Turnbow (what a name!), a mother and wife who has already reached her midlife crisis at the ripe old age of twenty-eight. She is spread much too thin, and doesn’t take much pleasure in her day-to-day life.

That is, until the butterflies.

In a single instant, Dellarobia’s life is switched upside down and she begins on a path of revelation and awakening. When a natural phenomenon involving Monarch butterflies occurs on the Turnbow land, Dellarobia is thrust into the spotlight and must confront her family, her community, and ultimately, herself.

In the end I loved Kingsolver’s way with words. She vividly paints a picture of the local culture of her native Appalachia. While many will either love or hate the ending, it only leaves a slightly bad aftertaste after devouring this delicious novel.