Book club selection (via Emily; session held 23 June 2019).
Marsh Girl survives, thrives in a marshy setting along the Carolina coast.
Highly readable. Author is interesting - extensive scientific background, a couple nonfiction works to her credit - this is her first novel.
My favorite part of the book - the descriptions of nature as it occurs in these coastal marshlands - this sets the stage right at the beginning of the book. A bit reminiscent of the Kolyma Stories descriptions. I don't know much about this part of the world, and apparently the weather is harsher than I realized (one consequence being lots of shipwrecks in the early days). I also liked the short recitation of the history of the types of folks who settle here - mostly losers, convicts, antisocial folk, escaped slaves. This element alone made the book worth reading.
The plot line was engaging enough, moved along well, if a bit simplistic. Protagonist (Kya) was too precious - no school, mom leaves at 6, dad a drunk - yet somehow a poet, artist, naturalist, author, hot chick, able to hide in the marsh - even in the land of novels (where somewhat-too-amazing characters should be, and are, accepted), that was a bit much. Chase and his girl posse right out of central casting, as were Tate and Scupper and the sheriff's department. Murder mystery, courtroom drama, of course.
This will be a movie for sure.
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