Author: Delia Owens
Genre: Historical Fiction; Adult
Rating: 9/10
Abandoned and neglected, Kya Clark has survived against all odds, relying only on herself and the land around her. Though most of the village scorns her, some have reached out with kindness or intrigue. When Kya finally decides to open her heart, she finds herself the prime suspect in a murder, and learns that it might be better to never repeat that mistake again.
The book is broken into two main components: A coming of age story and a mystery. It is also told in dual timelines to segregate these two sections. In the first portion of the book, we focus on Kya; how she came to be alone, how she grew and lived in spite of it, and how she navigated through many firsts and became the girl she was: someone who understood the earth like no other, but also someone who had deep-rooted fears of abandonment. I can see that this part of the story might not be for everyone, especially those who are used to the excitement and thrill of YA. Personally, I enjoy these slices of life stories. I liked how they do not have a distinct high and low, but are more like a roller coaster, with many highs and lows and periods of idleness. I love reading about life through different yet somehow similar eyes. And in this book, I loved how raw, uncensored and real it felt.
The mystery is interspersed throughout, revealing just enough to let on intrigue and speculations. I found the dual perspectives to be very well executed. It worked to build up suspense and intensity beautifully. As I read on, I found myself loving the book more and more (the last 100 pages blew me away), and thus you see the rating I have given. The coming of age story was thought provoking, evoking strong and unnameable feelings. The mystery did not feel like a separate entity, but an integral part of the book. It not only added thrill and cleverness, but brought the coming of age story full circle. Both the storylines and dual perspectives were vital to each other, and they were complementary too. When they merged, they came together seamlessly.
The setting felt both familiar and foreign. In Kya’s perspective, I felt like I got to know this whole new world outside my own, but the town kept me grounded in the time and place of the book. As we progressed, the writing and descriptions really worked to familiarise us with the layout and individual places. I truly felt like I knew the location at the end of the book (something very difficult to achieve in a standalone). Furthermore, the book was set around 70 years in the past. I felt that the book did a fantastic job in portraying the societal norms of the time and later on, in showing the stark evolution that occurred in that time.
The writing is beautiful, though I’m sure this is not a surprise to anyone. I will say that description wise, while it was eloquent, it became tedious to read at times. However, what took my breath away was the writing of monologues, dialogues, interactions etc. You could tell that the author was not only knowledgeable on societal systems (the court scenes were my favourite part of this book) and science, but also on life. I was left in awe, and that’s all I have to say.
Needless to say, the novel was very well crafted. Something I would like to note is, I never knew where the story was going, and this applied for both the coming of age story and the mystery. The author was exceptional at creating numerous paths the story could take and making sharp twists and turns. I was constantly doubting my speculations, but no matter where the author decided to take the story, I was always satisfied.
I do think that you have to be at a certain level of maturity to read this book. On the surface, it seemed simple enough. But, if you’re able to appreciate the concepts and complexity, you’ll find that you can dissect it just like any classic.
This is definitely a book that will stay with me. I still have a hard time sorting through my thoughts and feelings, and though I have tried to lay it out in this review, I urge you to read it and experience it for yourself.
“I wasn't aware that words could hold so much. I didn't know a sentence could be so full.”
Reviewed by: N.G.Rainwater (1st Reading)
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