Prodigal Summer alternates between three tales about Deanna Wolfe, Lusa Landowski, and Garnett Walker. The three characters have exclusive opinions about the natural environment. The first story is about Deanna. She begins her life in Zebulon County. Deanna is obsessed with coyotes, and she does her thesis specializing in safeguarding them. Here, she meets Eddie Bondo and falls in love with him. The two lovers have different opinions concerning coyote. While Deanna loves coyote, Eddie dislikes them because they have severally attacked their farm. Ultimately, Deanna gets pregnant and goes to stay with Nannie Rawley.
The second story is about Lusa, an entomologist. She feels lonely and regularly differs in opinion with her husband, Cole Widener. Cole’s siblings do not get along with Lusa. Unfortunately, her husband gets an accident and passes away. Lusa gets busy on the farm and decides to rear goats. The third tale is about Garnett Walker. His father was a logger. His family lost a fortune after a blight infects chestnut trees. Since then, he has tried to revive them.
Walker is Rawley’s neighbor. The two argue a lot about humans and wildlife. Nannie uses organic methods to protect her crops against weeds and pests. The characters value nature, and they have every right to safeguard wildlife. The book shows the connectivity between humans and nature; thus, readers get insight into how to conserve the environment.
