Betsy's Books

Kya Clark, the "Marsh Girl", has lived in Barkley Cove her entire life. Being unfit for society, she becomes the prime suspect when Chase Andrews turns up dead. In a 1969 story that goes back and forth in time, we learn about Kya, her life, and how this town hides its secrets. Owens creates a vivid, beautiful, poetic story about a young, outcast girl. She intertwines survival, resiliency, hope, love, loss, prejudice, strength, and so much more all into one book, transporting the reader right along into the Marsh. Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming of age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.