Summary

Chapter 1

The protagonist opens the book talking about an area east of Cambridge known as the Brecklands. The Brecklands are a mostly forested area surrounded by ruined homes and military bases. The protagonist calls it one of her favorite places, and recounts how seven years ago they had ended up taking an unexpected trip to the Brecklands. That day, she had forced herself to get up early and come out into the Brecklands. She had wanted to get away from the stress of having been cooped up for so long at her university. She wasn’t aware of it at the time, but it eventually hit her that she was going out because she was looking for Goshawks.

Goshawks, she explains, are a rare type of hawk. Many people have claimed that they have seen them, but the protagonist writes that they were...