This book had beautiful nature descriptions and lush, eloquent prose. Dara is an old soul keenly attuned to the natural world. He cares for it with a passion. It was also a meditation on coming of age and accepting the way one's brain processes the world. The entires give a view into Dara's mind and some of the struggles and strengths of being autistic. As someone with an autistic younger brother, I appreciated the opportunity to understand another autistic person's thoughts and experiences. I felt like it connected me to my brother just a little bit more. I loved Dara's family and their relationship. They are a sweet, quirky bunch who love each other fiercely and create their own little safety net in a harsh world. Their love for each other is the backbone of this story. Overall, a reflective and relaxing (most times, except for the parts on bullying and mental health struggles. I got a deeper knowledge and appreciation for the ecology of Northern Ireland. 

Dara's writing is so beautiful and effortless, it is incredible to keep remembering he is only 14. It is remarkable in its mission to prompt reflection on how we engage and interact with the natural world and a timely reminder of the joy and rewards in slowing down to take it all in.

It (naturally) reminded me of a Robert McFarlane book though and I think carried the same niggling feeling of a creeping 'eco-fash' world view where 'humans as the virus' rather than rampant capitalism. But it feels unfair to ask that of Dara who is so young, and already has such a deep and nuanced understanding of the environment and natural world, and I feel at the end he experienced some of the salve a shared community and anger amongst other activists cam provide when you start to sink into the abyss of feeling like the world is doomed and everyone is awful. I feel like his punk roots (and amazing supportive family) will continue to push him in the right direction, and will be looking to read as much of him as I can in the meantime.