The Gravity of Birds is the debut novel by Tracy Guzeman. Guzeman writes about the Kessler sisters, Alice and Natalie, whose lives change forever the summer they are 14 and 17 years old and meet 28 year old painter Thomas Bayber who later becomes very famous and reclusive.

Bayber paints a portrait of the sisters that summer, that he only shows to two art collectors when he is 70 years old. He asks that the sisters be found before the painting is sold, as they have the two missing panels. Here the search begins to piece together the story of what happened all those years ago, and what Bayber is really searching for.

The story unfolds in many layers from different viewpoints, and the characters grow and deepen in the process. I had to keep reading to find out what would happen, but also for the pure joy of reading Guzeman’s writing. The image of birds plays a big part in the story as the title suggests, but there are so many unexpected secrets lurking in dark corners, it kept me fully engaged and interested until the end.