Delia Owens pulls on your heartstrings throughout this whole book (especially if you’re a parent), by introducing you to a six year old little girl named Kya. Kya absolutely loves her Ma, but unfortunately lives in a very abusive home out in the Marshes with an alcoholic father as well and two older siblings. Well, four siblings, but at the start of this book all but two have left, and one leaves pretty much instantly leaving just Kya and Jodie roughing out a life in the Marshes with their Ma as they attempt to survive Pa.

The way Owens connects you to Kya by explaining Kya’s excitement to jumping out of bed and running downstairs at the sound of her mothers baking is genius, and letting you know she loves her brother Jodie by showing him teaching her about the Marsh and how to drive the boat warms your soul. Then… everything starts to go wrong.

First one to leave is her Ma, and Kya starts to wonder if something is wrong as her Ma wears her alligator shoes which she only wears on long trips. My heart broke as Kya watched the Ma she adored walk down the driveway and leave without looking back or waving goodbye. Even writing this I can feel my heart break as a parent, because I’ll admit that made me very angry at the Ma character because she had enough of the abuse but she's leaving her kids there alone with an abusive alcoholic?!?! Then, Owens takes a sledge hammer to what remains of your heart as Kya throughout the whole book keeps an eye on that driveway hoping to see her mom return to her. You learn later in the book why she left, and why she never came back for her kids, and I still disagree with her reasoning as Pa went out drinking and was gone for DAYS!! Couldn’t come and sneak Kya out? REALLY?!?!

Next one to leave is Jodie, with 75 cents in his pocket, leaving Kya ALONE with her abusive Pa, which Jodie returns as an adult feeling guilt ridden and breaks down in tears apologizing saying he should have stayed to protect her. This gives me respect for Jodie, but to be fair Kya isn’t alone with Pa long before he abandons her as well making her just straight up alone at the age of six living in the Marsh with all the locals calling her “The Marsh Girl”.

I’m not going to spoil the book putting in details of how a six year old survived alone (lots of grits), but incredibly Delia Owens DOES make it believable, which of course realism only puts your heart into it more as a reader forcing you at the end to darn near break down in tears as adult Kya imagines herself as a girl when her Ma walked out on her but instead her Ma turns around smiling waving bye and calling out to Kya with Kya smiling and waving back symbolizing forgiveness. 😭 I’m not crying, you’re crying! READ THIS BOOK!