Flight Behavior

Barbara Kingsolver

A literary novel set in rural Appalachian Tennessee about Dellarobia Turnbow, a restless young farm wife and mother who stumbles upon an enormous, inexplicable gathering of monarch butterflies on her family's land just as she is about to begin an affair. The sighting becomes a local sensation, drawing scientists, journalists, and religious leaders into conflict over what it means, while Dellarobia's own worldview and marriage are upended. The novel is less a romance than a character study woven around themes of climate change, poverty, faith, and self-discovery.