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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
A violent death and a murder trial frame the narrative
Language
Some
Adult language appropriate to the rural Southern setting and time period
Sexual Content
A lot
Kya's sexual development is depicted — first experiences with intimacy and her adult relationships involve sexual content that is clearly depicted rather than implied
Substance Use
Some
Drinking is present in the community and among characters Kya encounters
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Kya's profound isolation, her desperate need for human connection, and the weight of abandonment create the novel's emotional core
What this book is about
Kya Clark is abandoned by her family as a young child and raises herself in the marshes of coastal North Carolina. As she grows up, she finds connection with two men — and when one of them is found dead, she becomes the prime suspect. Owens's novel alternates between Kya's coming-of-age story and the murder investigation.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Child abandonment and severe neglect
Sexual assault — depicted with some detail
Murder and a years-long investigation
Extreme childhood isolation and poverty
Reader Verification
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