Snapper is the story of Nathan, philosophy graduate turned songbird researcher, and his life in southern Indiana. The book is structured like a series of personal essays. Nathan’s tales about the birds and people in his life are witty and full of warmth, but there’s also a sense of sadness over a homeland still struggling with racism, violence and neglect for the environment.

Through each story, we learn about Nathan’s childhood, his time spent in jail for attacking a parking meter with a two-by-four, his disastrous relationship with the crazy Lola, why he disdains predators like the bald eagle, and the serious consequences when his Texan uncle hangs a ‘Whites Only’ sign on his porch as a tasteless joke.

But Indiana is the true subject of his musings, and the character about whom Nathan is most conflicted. With incredible tenderness, he describes river swamps, the beauty of the lakes caused by strip mining, the woods-turned-meth-labs and, of course, the habits of the songbirds. Such fondness is tempered by despair about the shameless urban sprawl of Indianapolis, the covert racism that still dominates the south of the state, and the way people – including himself – fail to treat each other well. Nathan seems horrified that he loves Indiana so much, but he cannot escape his connection to the land, and then loves the place all the more for it.

Brian Kimberling is gifted at describing human interactions. The subtlety, nuance and awareness with which Nathan’s relationships are depicted make the story entirely believable – so believable, in fact, that I wouldn’t be surprised if some of it was autobiographical. Also admirable is the way Kimberling deals with issues of race and the environment. All characters are implicated, but rather than presenting a fixed solution, the book gestures towards empathy and humility as the traits by which we might slowly bring about change.

Julia Tulloh Harper is a PhD candidate in Literature at the University of Melbourne.