This is a coming-of-age tale in Sri Lanka, about a girl obsessed with knowledge of the natural world, who grows up to face extreme hardship, during a civil war that has torn the country her family apart. There are three parts, each very distinct. Nature writing is predominate in the first half and does an incredible job situating the fiction in time and place—likening various animals to people in compelling ways, intrinsic to their nature, without anthropomorphizing people.

As the book goes on, it is safe to say it becomes much more bleak. There is always an undercurrent of hope, as she tries to understand apply her ability to construct an ecosystem for her current circumstances, enabling her to continue to transition into each new part of the novel.

It’s more epic than I expected, and probably one of the best epic books I’ve read, though only 300 and change pages long. The prose work is great, especially with grammar. The diction itself is accessible and particularly flowery with the nature writing, and otherwise gets the job done, but wasn’t as evocative in urban areas. It’s a book that constantly kept me guessing and was always balanced in characterization and plot beats.

An extremely well constructed book and the primary themes are well struck. No complaints. If it gets a bit dark for you, just keep going. The characters nature consistently shines through, and it always navigates to something else if you are less interested in a particular entanglement.