Kya was all alone on the marsh. Abandoned at a age ten by everyone in her family, Kya learned to fend for herself by selling mussels and smoked fish to the only person to look after her, Jumpin, and his wife. They did not intrude on Kya's solitude but merely made sure she was ok, had some food and adequate clothing. Shunned and made fun of by the locals, Kya lived a solitary existence where the marsh was her only friend. She drew, collected and cataloged marsh life. Befriending the gulls, and other creatures who didn't judge her. When a local young man turned up dead, later in Kya's life, her strange ways and remote way of living made her a prime suspect for his murder.

This book was beautifully written and has a wonderful story of how we judge people that are different than us. However, I am not sure I completely bought into the total abandonment of anyone and everyone that could have helped Kya. No one, not even the truant officer, pursued or tried to help her. That she raised and fended for herself from age 10, even with a little help from Jumpin and his wife and then later her friend, Tate, was just a little too much. It reminded me a little bit of the movie, Nell, in that aspect. It is worth a read because the language and descriptions of the marsh are beautiful but I thought it pushed the limits of believability.