I was pretty skeptical going into this. I knew about it because of ALL THE BUZZ but buzz doesn't generally translate into a high opinion from me. All through the first 3/4s of the novel I was feeling smugly superior to the masses. "See? It's not that interesting," I told myself.

Well I was wrong. The last quarter of the narrative takes what the first 3/4s builds and uses it like rocket fuel. I mean I actually got a physical thrill by the end. That doesn't happen often. So does this novel aspire to grandiose themes of literary merit? I'm not sure it does, though there may be some Caliban allusions. What this novel does aspire to and what it pulls off effectively is a fully realized set of characters doing surprising yet inevitable things. It tells the story of an entire life in a specific area and it fills in everything important.

I have no doubt this story's characters are going to stay with me for a while and I am grateful to Delia Owens for that.