Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Kya was pretty much on her own from age 6. She watched her mom walk down the path and each brother and sister until she was left alone with Pa, who when he wasn't drunk and beating her, was gone for extended periods. Kya learned to fend for herself and stay clear of those people who only ridiculed her or would take her away from her beloved marsh home. Those few she did trust were limited to a kindly gas dealer and his wife and a kind boy who saw her for who she really was - the only people who didn't look down their noses at the "Marsh Rat". Whenever she let her guard down and was disappointed she ran to the marsh - its inhabitants gave her food, shelter, and company never judging. The secondary story comes into play when she is a teenager and the body of a clean-cut town boy is found dead. Delia Owens illuminates Kya's marsh for us in all its splendor. Her poetic prose settles on you and pulls you through like a soft summer night with crickets and frogs singing you a low country lullaby. Beautifully crafted, this story will haunt you well after the last page.