Book Review: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication Date: August 14, 2018
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life–until the unthinkable happens.
Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.
I’m sure you’ve heard of and probably even read Where the Crawdads Sing by now. It’s been on The New York Times bestseller list for eons and is one of the top-selling books of all time. It’s a murder mystery as well as a coming-of-age novel. Kya is known as the “Marsh Girl”. Abandoned by her family, she’s survived on her own in a remote cabin in the marsh. When Chase Andrews, a popular local boy is found dead, Kya is the prime suspect. The book alternates between the present day of the investigation to Kya’s childhood and how she became the “Marsh Girl.”
I didn’t read this book until it had been out quite a while so there was a lot of hype about it. Several of my friends said that it was one of the best books they’ve ever read. While I did enjoy Where the Crawdads Sing, I didn’t think it quite lived up to that level of hype. It bothered me that there were so many coincidences necessary for the twist ending to work.
The author did a good job of bringing emotion to the story. Reading about Kya’s childhood was heart-wrenching. There were also beautiful descriptions of the natural world that Kya inhabits, which makes sense because the author, Delia Owens is a retired wildlife biologist. Even though I had some minor problems with the murder mystery element of the book, I still liked the book as a whole. Recommended.
