A story that is part coming of age, part murder mystery, part romance, and a large part a love letter to the natural world. The book is set over a number of years in a a Marsh in North Carolina; a community and part of America that is often overlooked in literature. I read this because of the rave reviews last year and in anticipation of the film adaptation releasing this year. I was initially put off by the blurb and wouldn't usually read this genre, but I'm glad I did. 

It took me a while to go into. I initially liked the back and forth narrative across times and I actually quite liked the long descriptions of the nature constituting the Marsh. I found it quite relaxing, maybe because I listened to it as an audiobook before bed. I found the storyline predictive in parts, sad in others, and underwhelming and unsatisfying at the end - but I still can't place why. Maybe it seemed rushed compared to the plodding pace of the majority of the book. 

I grew attached to Kaya (the protagonist), but equally attached to her home and substitute family, the Marsh. What I think the book does really well is to paint a picture of the importance of the natural world, and why we should respect and appreciate nature. It highlights all the minute ways we've become detached from our environment, and why that's not a good thing for us as individuals, society, or ecologically. It's a beautiful study of all the shades of loneliness. For me this is a book about connections to our human community and our natural environment.