After the loss of her father, Emily Pittinos seeks solace on the road, but as she travels from Michigan to California and back again, she has to reckon with burdens everyone must bear— grief and guilt, resolution and closure, acceptance. In four poignant, lyrically adventurous essays, Pittinos reflects on endearment, irony, volunteering in a bird sanctuary, and the natural beauty of the in-between with humility and quiet levity. Animal, Roadkill, Ashes, Gone explores questions that have no answers, finds comfort in the most unexpected places, and captures grief with an elegant candor that tugs at the most intimate strings of loss.