Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Owens is a biologist and a naturalist who has written multiple memoirs and, although this is her first novel, her love of nature comes through on every page.  The story begins in 1969 with a body discovered in a North Carolina Swamp.  Then the narrative jumps back 17 years to the story of 10 year old Aya. One by one Aya's brothers and sisters and even her mother leave the isolated marshland of North Carolina.  She is left with her father who is often drunk, sometimes violent, frequently absent for long stretches of time - and then gone for good.  This is a story of survival through Aya's wit and the kindness of a few wonderful characters.  Bullied after her attempts to go to school, she hides from the authorities until she is forgotten.  Using her fishing and scavenging skills she not only avoids starvation but records the beauty of the marsh that protects her with detailed naturalist drawings.  Eventually she is befriended by a young boy named Tate who teaches her to read.  Their relationship will change the direction of the life of the "marsh girl" forever.  This is both a gentle and a powerful story particularly for anyone who appreciates the natural world.