I read Where the Crawdads Sing almost two months ago and have been sitting on this review ever since. Not because I don’t have anything to say about the book but more because I have way too much to say. This book just touched me so much!
About Where the Crawdads Sing
For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Kya Clark is barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her.
But Kya isn’t what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life’s lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens.
~ Synopsis from GoodReads
My Review: Kinda spoilery
Where do I start? Let’s start with Kya – the main character I loved so much. She is this sweet little child who goes through so much in life. Her early childhood with her family was hard to read (Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone vibes). Her father is an abusive drunk, so hard to live with that her mother and her siblings all leave one by one, leaving this poor, little child (just 6 years old) alone with her dad. And then one day, he too ups and leaves!
She lives an isolated life alone in the marsh – relating more to the wildlife and nature around her than others. She doesn’t go to school and is pretty much self-taught and independent. All the parts in the book where the town folks look down on her just made me 😭. Her one adult friend is Jumpin – a black man who runs a petrol pump and general store. He and his wife help her out as much as they can.
And then, one day, she meets a boy Tate (five years older than her, which was a little sketchy at first), but he is kind to her, teaches her to read, and they bond over their mutual love of the marsh. This eventually turns into them falling in love (duh! of course), and I was rooting for their love story, which was so sweet.
Unfortunately, he has to go to university and leaves, promising to return. And then 😭😭😭, he ghosts her! I couldn’t deal with this part of the book – her waiting patiently by the shore for two days, almost until she realizes she’s been dumped.
Slowly Kya becomes a known naturalist, published writer, and expert on the marsh. I just loved this evolution for her. She matures and reunites with some of her family members but is content with her isolated life on the marsh overall.
Kya laid her hand upon the breathing, wet earth, and the marsh became her mother.
Unfortunately, she then takes up with Chase, who is kind of like the local Gaston (from Beauty and the Beast). When he is found dead, she becomes a murder suspect and has to stand trial. And I won’t tell more because I don’t want to completely spoil the book for you.
The story of the investigation into Chase’s murder is interweaved with Kya’s story – alternatingly flipping from past to present. While the murder is important, it’s not the main focus; I wouldn’t call this book a mystery. It’s more of a coming-of-age story.
Eventually, things work out for Kya and Tate. There is a little epilogue at the end, which nicely wraps up the loose ends. Now, I normally don’t particularly care if things are left a little unexplained, but here, it was nice to read just because I was so invested in Kya’s fate.
Overall, such a lovely book! I ended it feeling completely satisfied. I can’t believe this is Delia Owens’ first book. She really nailed it here!
