DESCRIPTION:
On a night in January, on the Garden Peninsula of Michigan, a farmhouse burns to the ground. A young child makes it out and flees into the woods with a book of matches in her hand.
Ten years later, Abby, a lover of birds and the natural world, returns to Garden, to the woods and lakes and farms and fisheries of her childhood, to assist her uncle on an environmental study of trees. Her best friend, Brew, invites her to a party where she meets a troubled girl named Seda, on the run from her abusive ex. Abby sets out to protect Seda and introduces her to an abandoned cabin that becomes a sanctuary for them both. Here, Abby begins to process her unrequited feelings for Brew while also discovering the person she is becoming. She wants more for her life, a hunger both spiritual and physical, and seeks to understand the trauma of her childhood that took her mother from her. Abby cares deeply for the people and flora and fauna around her and identifies with the wounds of the environment. She is desperate to remember what happened the night of the fire and as the summer of 1996 unfolds, Abby will be forced to reckon with the truth.
Perfect for fans of the lush and tender nature writing of Helen Macdonald and Richard Powers, Where the Water Meets the Sky is a coming-of-age novel that expertly delves into the connection between our perception of ourselves and our natural environs. It is a paean to the vast and beautiful wildscape around us and to the power of community and the wisdom of love.
The memory of a burning farmhouse on Michigan’s Garden Peninsula is one that Abby has carried with her for years. The fire was accidental, but the loss it caused was immeasurable. Now older, Abby returns to Garden to assist her uncle with a study he is preparing. Her uncle’s passion is trees, while Abby’s heart belongs to birds, making them a perfect team.
But Abby’s journey is shaped by more than the landscape and the lingering memory of the fire. Her relationships, both old and new, become just as meaningful. Her longtime friend Brew and her new friend Seda each play an important role in Abby’s life, and watching those friendships deepen and evolve adds so much warmth to the story.
One of the most touching aspects of the novel is Abby’s care for the injured birds she nurses. Those moments are written with such tenderness and compassion, and they beautifully reflect Abby’s own emotional growth. Diane Les Becquets captures Abby’s connection to nature in a way that feels vivid and heartfelt.
The mystery and emotional weight surrounding the fire continue to shape Abby throughout the novel, leading to some especially moving moments. Combined with the author’s beautiful writing and the gradual unfolding of Abby’s personal growth, particularly in her relationships and understanding of herself, this becomes a thoughtful and deeply rewarding story that I would highly recommend.
