"For years, rumours of the Marsh Girl' have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens." - Taken from the blurb.
Wow! Hauntingly beautiful! I found Kya such a relatable character and yet was so intriguing. Owens truly transports the reader into the marsh with all the wonderful animals and creatures.
[Spoilers Ahead!]
This story opens in 1969 with a description of the marsh and the discovery of a dead body, Chase Andrews. We then jump back to 1952, when a young girl named Kya lived with her loving mother, abusive father, and four older siblings in a small shack in the marsh. Gradually, all of these family members leave, abandoning 6 year old Kya with no food and no protection. The story is slow moving at first, building the character of Kya and allowing readers to empathise with her. We then watch Kya fall in love, have her heartbroken, and move on in a few chapters, broken up with poems that Kya states are by her favourite poet.
As the history of Kya progresses, so does the case of Chase Andrews, taking place seventeen years after first meeting Kya. Due to her odd behaviour, the fact that she barely washes and the small town's lack of communication with her, Kya is shunned by the town's people. She is taken to trial and faces the death penalty for the murder of Chase; there is next to no evidence and the only person who knows the marsh well is Kya, who also happened to be the one who gifted Chase a shell necklace, one he always wore, which was missing when his body was found.
Kya is a very unreliable narrator, however, that does not take away the reader's love for her; her quirkiness and gentleness towards the animals and earth she inhabits give the character depth and make her much more relatable. Since Owens was a wildlife scientist in Africa and wrote non-fiction books on her discoveries, it could be possible that this novel is an extended love letter to nature and wildlife. It certainly has made me want to sit in nature and learn about every organism that lives in pond water, or the rare feathers that fall from an unseen bird.
Intertwined with poetry, the reader explores a narration from a complex character. The evidence given against Kya seems too obvious, causing readers to think the protagonist will escape and the truth will be revealed. Because of the relationship the reader has with Kya, we do not believe she would hurt anyone. In contrary, when we learn more about Chase's character it becomes more and more likely that Kya may be an appropriate suspect.
This heartbreaking coming-of-age story highlights the importance of acceptance and family, especially to young, impressionable people. Even though Kya's biological family left her, she still found family in Jumpin', Mabel, and Tate. At her trial, she realises just how lucky she is to be loved immensely by all those kind people.
Towards the end of the book, a final poem reveals the truth of Chase's murder, shocking the reader and bringing to light the horrors of the marsh itself.
Out of five stars I guess I would have to say it deserved five. One for its plot, because even though I love murder mysteries, this type of book is not really one I would look twice at...I mean I bought it because it looked pretty. Another star for its character development, the reader grew with Kya, and even background characters eventually became more 3D which truly made events come to life. A third star for the writing style, I love the poems inserted in with the prose, because it doesn't pause the story; in a way it tells the story in a different way, explaining a characters thoughts or feelings which is exactly what poems do anyway. My fourth star goes to ease of reading, despite finding it difficult to push through the opening, I found that this book kept my attention for days. My final star, funnily enough, goes to its ending, because the plot twist was so unexpected for me, I had to re-read the last chapter a few times to even process. So there we have it. My first five star review! And well deserved!
★★★★★
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