The Flitting: A Memoir of Fathers, Sons, and Butterflies

The Flitting: A Memoir of Fathers, Sons, and Butterflies

"A book with wings."—Ali Smith A deeply felt and moving memoir about how butterflies become a vital connection between a son and his dying father. The Flitting: A Memoir of Fathers, Sons, and Butterflies is a masterful and touching memoir blending natural history, pop culture, and literary biography—delivering a richly layered and nuanced portrait of a son’s attempt, after years of stubborn resistance, to take on his dying father’s love of the natural world. With his father unable to leave the house and follow the butterfly cycle for the first time since he was a child, Masters endeavors to become his connection to the outdoors and his treasured butterflies, reporting back with stories of beloved species—Purple Emperors, Lulworth Skippers, Wood Whites and Silver-studded Blues—and with stories of the woods and meadows that are their habitats and once were his. Structured around a series of exchanges and remembrances, butterflies become a way of talking about masculinity, memory, generational differences, and ultimately loss and continuation. Masters takes readers on an unlikely journey where Luther Vandross and The Sopranos rub shoulders with the likes of Angela Carter and Virginia Woolf on butterflies and gender; the metamorphoses of Prince; Zadie Smith on Joni Mitchell and how sensibilities evolve; and the lives and works of Vladimir Nabokov and other literary lepidopterists. In this beautiful debut memoir, Ben Masters offers an intensely authentic, unforgettable portrait of a father and son sharing passions, lessons, and regrets before they run out of time. "Moving and exquisite. . . . .Combining elements of memoir, nature writing, literary journalism, and pop culture analysis, written with wonder and deep feeling, this is a story of loss that nonetheless pulses with life."— Nicole Chung, Esquire , A Best Memoir of 2024 "Sure to tug on readers’ heartstrings."— Publishers Weekly "Moving. . . . His recollections of his naturalist father and their late-in-life connection is replete with butterfly themes and imagery, but ultimately it is the humanity of their story that compels. A heartfelt remembrance."— Kirkus Reviews "Unique. . . . Revolutionary. . . . revealing. This book moves the form of memoir forward and elevates the conversations sons and fathers have been having on pages past."— True Magazine , A Best Book of 2024 "A beautifully written reminder of the importance of accepting others as they are, and of the wonders of nature. You may never look at a butterfly the same way after reading this."— Southern Bookseller Review "A book with wings."— Ali Smith, author of Companion Piece "The Flitting is a dance and a dazzle of a book; at once a moving father-son memoir and the flicker-flitter story of a butterfly chase, in all its actual and metaphorical vibrancy. It tells of a life lost and a worldview discovered, in a voice that beautifully balances lightness and cleverness."— Robert Macfarlane, author of Underland "The Flitting is a masterwork, seamlessly tying together several threads, building bridges with rich, touchable imagery and language that overflows with joy and ache, sometimes simultaneously. You will exit this book more curious, more thoughtful about the world, more capable of a wide breadth of feeling." — Hanif Abdurraquib, author of There's Always This Year "Reading The Flitting is like following a meandering butterfly through the woods. There is purpose and power in the detours, beauty in the quiet moments, and satisfaction in articulating the invisible thread we grasp to honor love, loss, and legacy. Like H is for Hawk , Masters weaves together the words of multiple generations of naturalists, helping readers find strength in those who came before so we can be strong for those who will follow. A lyrical tribute to the power of connection." — Sara Dykman, author of Bicycling with Butterflies "A heartfelt and moving memoir of fathers and fritillaries, bereavement and brimstones, and the solace and wonder to be found in the natural world."— Patrick Barkham, author of The Butterfly Isles Ben Masters teaches English at the University of Nottingham. His literary journalism has appeared in New York Times , the Times Literary Supplement , and Literary Review .