In 1952, six-year-old Catherine 'Kya' Clark watches her mother walk away from their shack in the coastal marshes of North Carolina. Her older siblings soon leave too, and eventually her violent, drinking father disappears, leaving Kya to survive alone by selling mussels and smoked fish to Jumpin', a kind Black storekeeper, and his wife Mabel. Townspeople in Barkley Cove call her the Marsh Girl.
A gentle boy named Tate teaches Kya to read and shares her love of the natural world, and she later becomes involved with Chase Andrews, the town's charming former quarterback. In a parallel timeline beginning in 1969, Chase is found dead below an old fire tower, and suspicion falls on the isolated young woman everyone has gossiped about for years.
Owens, a wildlife scientist, fills the novel with precise observations of herons, fireflies, tides and shell patterns, and the marsh becomes a character in its own right. The book mixes coming-of-age story, romance and courtroom drama. It sold many millions of copies, stayed on bestseller lists for years, and was adapted into a 2022 film.
Book details
| Author | Delia Owens |
|---|---|
| First published | 2018 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Literary fiction |
| Type | Fiction |
| Pages (approx.) | 368 |
| Setting | Coastal marshes near the fictional town of Barkley Cove, North Carolina, 1952-1970 |
Themes
- Isolation
- Nature
- Abandonment
- Prejudice
- Resilience
Who should read it
Readers who enjoy nature writing woven into a coming-of-age mystery.