Lucille Lamb is a 13-year-old on vacation with her widowed mother, Naomi, and her younger half-siblings Mayzie and Jack. The initial goal was to travel to Key West for Lucille’s birthday, to go snorkeling in the Florida Reef. But they stop at a remote vacation property near Savannah to scatter Lucille’s father’s ashes. But Naomi is, unfortunately, an unreliable mother due to her pill addiction. So instead of following through, she meets with an old boyfriend and spends a private getaway without her children. They encounter hotel manager Will Altman, who is also a veteran. And as they spend more time together, both realize there is comfort in community, beyond family. Everybody Here is Kin by BettyJoyce Nash is a contemporary fiction novel that explores how despite all odds, sometimes the universe brings you back to where you belong. 

Will has issues of his own. His dilapidated “habitat” is a long-term rehab project. And he funds the repairs with whatever money get gets from selling his wood carvings at the weekly Market. On top of that, he deals with the psychological repercussions from serving his country. Even so, he and some of the island’s permanent residents – all related to each other to some extent – unofficially look after the kids. They develop a bond with them. And it’s hard to say who has a larger influence on the other.

Just a heads up – content warnings include PTSD, drug abuse/addition, alcoholism, and child neglect. But those are just some of the themes Nash explores in Everybody Here is Kin. In Lucille’s point of view, readers get insight into the mind of a 13-going-on-30-year-old. She is highly conscious of the planet’s impending doom, and reminds other characters with her knowledge of global warming and the damage caused by humans. And she navigates her anxiety by running and going meatless.

While eccentric, Lucille’s advanced maturity is a result of her mother’s lack of parenting. She has had to grow up and be a parent to her younger siblings, rendering her the default caretaker while just a kid herself. Readers will recognize the toxic mother-daughter relationship by the first page, when Lucille refers to her mother by her first name. But as the characters navigate all relationships, a hurricane is on its way to the island. Lucille wants to scatter her father’s ashes before it’s too late. And despite Naomi’s compromised state of mind when she returns, she still has that mama bear mentality and insists on ensuring her daughter is safe. And once the storm has passed, the community works on repairing their homes and each other. 

Everybody Here is Kin was a bit difficult to finish, to be honest. The pacing is slow during the first half, and the story is very character-driven. I’m usually not opposed to character-focused stories (I’m a sucker for character growth in general). But the pace and lack of detail left me wanting something else. Some of the scene set-ups were underdeveloped – readers might have to fill in the gaps on their own. However, during the catastrophic storm and the aftermath, Nash seems to be in her element and the story becomes more interesting and engaging. Some of the interactions and Lucille’s inner monologue make you stop and think. But even still, I wasn’t on the edge of my seat anxious to see if they made it. Unfortunately, the story slows back down towards the end. Without giving too much away, some questions are left unanswered and the ending is unsatisfying. 

I did enjoy the parallels that Nash draws between the beach’s turtle population and Lucille’s family. Mothers return to where they were born to build their nests for their eggs. They also mate with multiple males until all of their eggs are fertilized. When the hatchlings are born, they are on their own, navigating their way to the sand’s surface and finding the ocean. Readers will make the connection almost instantly. 

Everybody Here is Kin is available September 19.