Though I am no Reese Witherspoon nor am I a member of her book club, I did pick up this book because of all the hype it was getting for being on the bestseller's lists. What made this book such a hit? These, I think, are the top reasons why it is a great read:
Vividly-described Setting
Admittedly, I am a city girl and would never for the life of me want to live in marshy, mosquito-infested land. But the visually-descriptive writing of the author, Delia Owens, made the marsh less of a dump but a picturesque haven for many creatures and for our protagonist, Kya Clark. The author's nature writing prowess shone through and played a big part in creating the setting for the story and helped us understand how much Kya relied on her unique environment in order to survive after being abandoned by her family. She sought solace and company with the herons and she dug up mussels in order to earn what little cash she can in order to purchase gas for her little boat. Her knowledge and keen observation skills became her ticket later to financial independence which allowed her to be free to pay off the back taxes and legally declare her little shack as her own. This also provided the backdrop for the greatest murder mystery to ever take place in Barkley Cove. The natural rhythms and patterns of the marsh ecosystem helped add to the unsolved murder of Chase Andrews. With that, you might say this natural setting became a key factor in Marsh Girl's story.
Learning from Nature
"Female insects, Kya thought, know how to deal with their lovers."
Though hurt by the people whom she thought loved her, she learns to take charge of herself by looking at the examples set by the insects she is surrounded with. The imagery of the firefly light patterns was used to compare to her own personal experience of love--one that is seemingly pure, but also ultimately destroyed her--just as fireflies light up for a mate but would also use the same light to kill a potential mate. Female praying mantises deviously use the male ego to trick him into thinking he is getting what he wants but she then flips the script and she chomps of his head to get what she wanted.
Using her knowledge of the animal kingdom gleaned through the books and articles she finally learned to read, Kya uses what she knows in order to decipher humans outside her tiny circumference. She described the courtroom scene by comparing the clothing of the key players to similar alpha-beta roles that are present in animal relationships. The prosecutor, for lack of real content and substance, had to detract from that by wearing bold and eye-catching colors to augment for other things he lacked.
"... [S]ome stunted males, not strong, adorned, or smart enough to hold good territories, possess bags of tricks to fool the females. They parade their smaller forms around in pumped-up postures or shout frequently--even if in shrill voices....[r]elying on pretense and false signals..."
Though she may not have much knowledge of the men outside her world, she learned to make these connections to make sense of them.
No Man is an Island
Kya was fortunate to also have a friend who cared about her--a boy who grew up with her and had witnessed her father's abusive behavior. This also leads to another point that no matter how isolated one may be, we still need the help of other people in order to make it in this world.
"Kya knew it wasn't so much that the herd would be incomplete without one of its deer, but that each deer would be incomplete without her herd."
Dealing with Discrimination
Aside from Tate who patiently taught her to read, introduced her to poems, and gave her the tools she could use to become a self-actualized woman, the author introduces two characters who became surrogate parents for the young Kya. Jumpin' and Mabel, both colored, were still experiencing the segregative laws of the South yet they did not hesitate to take in the Marsh Girl, who herself was scorned and looked down upon by the white townsfolk of Barkley Cove. I am glad that the book presents the scenario that discrimination is not limited to race and that it covers anyone who is different from the mainstream culture. Kya certainly did not fit that mold and yet her editor stood by her during the murder trials because she was respected by those who appreciated her work. Tom Milton comes out of retirement to be her pro bono defense lawyer and takes the extra step to give her a book on shells to try to crack her stoic facade. Minor characters include the checkout lady at Piggly Wiggly and the truant officer who in one way or another helped her as she tried to maneuver the strange world outside her beloved lagoon. In life, we are not judged by our looks but by our actions.
All in all, this book was entertaining and captivating with Kya and her natural habitat as the main characters of this story. It is as much a story of triumph and transcendence as one uses and works with nature in order to better understand one's place in it.
To purchase a copy of this highly recommended book, please click here. All proceeds go towards maintaining The Mama Travels website.
With October more popularly known as the month for Halloween, Oktoberfest, and celebrating the Hispanic heritage, it might be worth noting that Filipino-American History Month is also celebrated in October. What better way to celebrate than with a feast full of Filipino food. Check out my article published in the Beltsville News featuring a local favorite of my family for all things Filipino.
