Wild Reflections by the Sea

There’s something magnetic about Malibu, a place where the ocean crashes against cliffs and coyotes wander the hills as if they own the land. In Coyotes and Culture: Essays from Old Malibu, Claire McEachern captures this tension between the natural and human-made worlds with a voice that is as thoughtful as it is inviting. Her book isn’t just about Malibu itself, but about how memory, culture, and environment intersect in the stories we tell ourselves about where we come from. It’s the kind of read that feels both deeply personal and yet surprisingly universal. Whether you know Malibu or not, you’ll find yourself pulled into her perspective.

Essays That Weave Memory and Place

The book is structured as a series of essays, each one circling around the landscapes and experiences of “Old Malibu,” a time before the coastline became overly polished and crowded with celebrity culture. McEachern reflects on growing up in a community that straddled the line between rugged wilderness and encroaching modernity. She brings in personal anecdotes alongside cultural observations, giving readers a layered view of how identity and place shape one another. The coyotes in her essays become more than animals; they’re symbols of resilience, wildness, and continuity amid change. It’s history, memoir, and cultural critique all wrapped into one.

A Voice Both Personal and Poetic

What makes McEachern’s writing stand out is her ability to balance intimacy with broader insight. She writes as though she’s in conversation with you, but also with the land and the ghosts of Malibu’s past. Her sentences flow with a lyrical quality, but never feel overdone—they’re grounded in real experiences and emotions. She has a gift for turning small details, like the sound of the surf or the glimpse of a coyote at dusk, into moments of reflection on belonging, loss, and wonder. The essays unfold naturally, like stories told around a beach fire, personal yet resonant.

Why This Book Matters

At its heart, Coyotes and Culture isn’t just about one woman’s memories; it’s about how memory itself is tied to place and culture. For anyone interested in how landscapes shape identity, or how the past lingers even as the world changes, this book offers plenty to think about. It doesn’t try to romanticize Malibu, but it doesn’t dismiss its magic either. McEachern embraces the contradictions—the beauty alongside the encroachment, the wildness beside the human sprawl. In doing so, she encourages readers to think about their own landscapes, and the hidden layers of meaning within them.

A Book Worth Returning To

This is the kind of book that lingers after you’ve closed the last page. Its mix of memoir and cultural observation makes it feel rich, like a conversation you want to revisit. Readers who love personal essays, place-based writing, or reflections on how nature and culture intersect will find a lot to appreciate here. McEachern gives us not only her story but also a framework for looking at our own. Coyotes and Culture is a quiet, thoughtful book, but one with staying power, offering a perspective that’s both grounded and expansive. It’s well worth the read.