Book Review: Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing (2018) by Delia Owens

Fiction | Historical Fiction | Mystery

Disclaimer: In every review that I complete, I try my best to avoid spoilers of any kind and include spoiler warnings when necessary.

About the book (from Goodreads)

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 is not 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, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens.

In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming-of-age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

The story asks how isolation influences the behavior of a young woman, who like all of us, has the genetic propensity to belong to a group. The clues to the mystery are brushed into the lush habitat and natural histories of its wild creatures.

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My Review

For the past few years, I've heard great things about this book. I've had it on my tbr list and kept putting off reading it, and now that I finally have: wow. Just, wow. Where the Crawdads Sing is yet another book I read slowly so that I could savor it. The story in its entirety is touching and heart-warming, and I absolutely loved it.

The Good Things

1. The language in this novel is absolutely fantastic, especially the dialogue. It makes the story more immersive.

2. The author's description of the march is fantastic, despite not being entirely accurate for the location. I found myself imagining its beauty and was inspired by the main character's love for the lands that raised her.

3. The main character is extraordinarily well written. As readers, were are able to follow her throughout her lifetime and understand her on an extremely personal level.

4. The ending was absolutely wonderful and tied up the book nicely. I think that had the novel ended any other way, I would have been left wanting more.

The Bad Things

1. The mystery aspect of this is very subtle. I personally enjoyed that touch, but if you want a thriller or a quick-paced mystery, don't choose this book.

2. There were a few chapters toward the end that I didn't love, but I know they were important to the story so I'm willing to overlook them. However, I can completely understand how others may not be able to look past this and there is a slight possibility that it will affect their overall view of the story.

My Final Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆/5

If you are interested in purchasing this book, click here.

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