The Marshy coastal region of North Carolina where this story takes place is nothing like the gritty urban neighborhood where I live. The solitude of life in the marsh and its rich biodiversity, are almost unimaginable as I sit reading on the subway every morning, shoulder to shoulder with my fellow New Yorkers. But Delia Owen tells a captivating story of how one little girl left with nothing builds a life out of communion with her environment.

Catherine “Kya” Clark, the youngest of 5 children, grew up in a shack among the “Marsh People”. Shunned by the local townsfolk for their isolated ways, the weekly walks into town for provisions were a source of terror and humiliation. When she was 7, her mother walked out of the house and down the road, never to return. Following the departure of her mother, her four siblings slowly escaped leaving Kya alone with her alcoholic father. When she was 10, her Pa left too, leaving Kya in the marsh to fend for herself, 3 miles from the nearest town.

Truant officers, orphanage staff, and well meaning adults reach out to Kya but she has an understandable mistrust of others and a lifetime of practice hiding from adults. Her one adult connection becomes Jumpin’- the Negro gas station manager who gently keeps her alive by buying her bags of mussels collected from the shore, and selling her supplies in return.

Tate, a friend of her brother’s, enters her life by leaving her exotic feathers on a stump by her shack. After all of Kya’s struggles the reader cheers Tate on and he provides some of the nurturing companionship Kya desperately needs. Kya and Tate share a love of the natural world and explore the marsh, collecting shells and observing flora and fauna. Tate teaches her to read and starts bringing her books. As Kya masters reading, her keen interest in her environment takes an academic turn and she starts making detailed studies and observations of the creatures and grasses around the Marsh.

But there are two narratives in this novel; one which starts in 1952, when Kya’s mother walks out of the house, and follows Kya’s struggles to survive and keep her life in the marsh. The other story begins in 1969, with two boys on their bikes finding a dead body at the foot of an abandoned fire tower in the Marsh. The boys run to get the Sherrif and the investigation into the death of Chase Andrews begins. The narrative goes back and forth between these two stories, and their inevitable collision brings a growing sense of dread.

I’ve only scratched the surface of this remarkable book, filled with intricate descriptions of bird mating rituals, poems by Galway Kinnell, meditations on solitude and the desire for connection. It is also a compelling read right up to the end. Of a total of possible 5 👍 I would give this one 5👍👍👍👍👍.