“Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens

“Where the Crawdads Sing” was the surprise of this year. I was introduced to the solitude of a marsh and its fluctuation of life. A thrilling and yet uncommon story. This title is meant to own the first place in every person’s TBR.

“Where the Crawdads Sing” is an emotional damaging view in a lost and lonely soul. I was astonished by the author’s techniques of narration. By the fresh details and perspective. I totally recommend you this novel for 2023.

Title: “Where the Crawdads Sing”

Author: Delia Owens

Number of pages: 368

Genre: Mystery Thriller, Bildungsroman

Trope: Murder mystery

Age Rating: +16

Stars Rating: 5/5 ⭐

The insides of the book

Due to the 3rd person narration, I firstly considered it a huge minus. Fortunately, I was wrong:) It was perfect for delimitating all the characters’ memories and experiences. It was like an overview of the marsh and the little simple stories from the side. The description passages, the vagueness and the intrigue completed each other. The whole view seemed harmonized.

There is the kind of book which makes you sense something big is about to happen. There’s, unwillingly, created a waiting space for the reader. While sometimes it is fascinating and on other times annoying, it loses its element of surprise. Readers already expect the big plot twist… “Where the Crawdads Sing” proved me the greatest books don’t expose their aces! They keep you wondering patiently, while a key moment is just around the corner.

The story is formed by two parts. The first one tells us Kya’s backstory and experiences. It is like a bunch of flashbacks from her memory. Nevertheless, they don’t give the impression of fast-forwarding or summarizing her memories. It looks just perfectly complete and long not to bore the reader. I have the impression that the essence of every moment was exploited with so much talent! You can’t find a single missing detail!

The second part relates Kya’s moments with Chase. Technically, the readers are introduced discreetly in all the aspects which form up the crime investigation. I was taken by surprise seeing the author’s attention to all the details. They were chosen carefully, all of them having a meaning and reason in the complete overview of the story. I loved how none aspect was left to chance.

I truly believe “Where the Crawdads Sing” is a challenging read. Even though I wholly enjoyed it, the first part of the story was hindered by the elevated description passages. They were a mindful detail, offering a natural and dark allure of the place. The passages were so detailed that my whole concentration was continuously solicitated. Don’t get me wrong! Beside this tiring aspect of the first part, this reading was complex, captivating and a total mind-play!

Trigger warnings

• Attempted rape
• Verbal and physical abuse
• Alcoholism
• Child neglect and abandonment
• Domestic abuse
• Murder
• Bullying
• Racism

The beginning of a life

The book starts with a confusing and mind blowing passage of description. It was exhausting trying to follow the essence of that passage. It was a description of the marsh, which abounded of details and different points of interest, far one from the other. Although, the incipit settled very well the protagonist’s surroundings and the place of action.

Generally, the whole description present in this book gave the marsh significance in Kya’s life. She was like the daughter of that marsh. The connection between the marsh and protagonist had a different meaning. It was more than a place, but a family and a home for Kya. The girl connected with the place and lived by its rules.

“𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝.”

“Where the Crawdads Sing”, Delia Owens

There is that metaphor about how human are part of the nature and the total overview. The protagonist became part of her marsh. She lived under the nature’s unspoken laws and respected the place which protected her day and night. My favorite aspect related to the subject is the narration of her experiences and emotions. Every moment she lived or interaction she had, it was compared to its equivalent in the marsh. Kya was living in two places in the same time: her marsh and the little town, which seemed like a total different world to her. Every element was present in both of the worlds, under different forms.

I admired the deep meaning and symbol Kya gave to every natural element. She was a quiet observer, crating her own world. When the outside one didn’t have the intention of accepting her in it, she made up her own. The rules of the place were known only to her. I simply adored this!

“𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐲, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: “‘𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭.”

“Where the Crawdads Sing”, Delia Owens

A symbol

The book cover captures the essence of her life and identity. A girl in her boat on a sunset overview, with her hair in the wind. The picture spoke very clearly about her freedom in the marsh, the gift she was blessed with: living for herself. The sunset is the metaphor of life, equilibrium and freedom. An ending which only brings a new beginning in the morning. It is the most romantical and deep aspect of life and nature. Although, it’s impossible not to sense her loneliness, that her way was always a solitary one. A boat predestinated to carry only one person.

A legend

Kya was named “The Marsh Girl” by the locals. An awful nickname which was supposed to replace her identity. Not many were the ones who knew her real name, or cared about it anyway. She proved to be fearless and stubborn to live, being exposed to loneliness and need for survival since her early childhood.

Her life was so messed up! Even when she had a family, they were empty souls, most of them. All her family members left her one by one without thinking twice. I won’t give further details which would spoil the book. Nevertheless, no matter what personal problems and trauma each of them had, she was still so young and fragile! It’s no wonder she forgot everyone in the end. All those faces and names which meant only persons who did not care enough to return for her.

She though she didn’t worth enough, that she deserved being left alone in that cruel world. It broke my heart to see her innocence and self-guilt… All her life and human relations made her assimilate love with pain. It was the only constant of her life.

“𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 – 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟.”

“Where the Crawdads Sing”, Delia Owens

Share your loneliness with me

Tate was the boy who met her when they were still too young and naïve. While being a teenager, their actual interactions started just like a little secret fun game. Trading feathers when no one saw them, Kya’s most expected moment of the day. Their little game gave her a purpose, a thing on which she would keep her attention. Everything made her forget about her situation, her loneliness and need of affection. For some time, Tate was the best thing that happened to her.

She put everything she was and felt in their relationship. There are many sequences which mention her happiness, the fact she wasn’t alone anymore. I know, they’re just words, but… her state of mind was heart breaking. She hang up to him, because he seemed the only one who intended to stay. I know she was in love with him, but her feelings were accentuated by her need of companionship.

Tate meant for her more than anyone would’ve. He taught her to read, he witnessed her awkward moments and was there to guide her whenever she felt lost. His leaving affected her, being like her whole world split in half. That’s because HE was her only world, the only person who proved to care well enough to stay…until he left, as well.

“𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫. “𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡. 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥.”

“Where the Crawdads Sing”, Delia Owens

I previously said that the 3rd person narration proved to be really effective and a great idea. In this way, I could read about Tate’s reactions and little usually unseen gestures. I noticed how his acting was described as very attentive, trying his best not to upset or make her feel awkward. So he didn’t mention even once her condition. He became very self-aware around her. Tate wanted to be part of her life and make it brighter, not to be like the locals who put her a nickname. He became more delicate and acted like an older brother next to her, even though there was nothing brotherly in his feelings:)

A misfortune

Kya became a local legend. Little groups of children knocked on her door in the middle of the night, relieved when “The Marsh Girl” wouldn’t answer. Most of the teenage boys put a bet upon her virginity. There were spreading rumors about her being wild, not knowing to talk and so many more. Nobody truly wanted to meet Kya, a simple girl who was drowning in loneliness. She looked up at Chase’s friends, saw the girls laughing and enjoying their time together. Kya wanted that, to be accepted and seen. To play, run and laugh with them.

She fell for Chase’s lies. Marriage, children, their own house. A life in which she would be finally seen. It was obvious not love, but need. She needed him to banish her loneliness, to make herself feel something. She was numb to love, friendship and happiness. Tate disappointed her, so, for her, any moment of joy came together with pain. She would’ve done anything to keep pain away.

Day by day

Being on her own since a very young age, Kya was forced by circumstances to grow up more quickly than she should’ve. It was definitely emotional to see her hard work for earning some money. How she woke up at the crack of down, working every day with her fingers in mud. Kya sacrificed her childhood to survive. Her fumed, but gross looking fish, which would’ve never been sold, emotionally destroyed me. She was just a little kid, hungry, lonely and out on her own in a cruel world. Everything about her life story was unfair. It must have been that her character was designed to mark our minds forever.

A cage

“Where the Crawdads Sing” might be considered controversial because of the trial presented in the book. The trial, for my annoyance, was based on non-rational or solid evidences, but only theories. Nothing worthy to be mentioned in a trial for murder. The prosecutor’s witnesses were weak and their statements were not stable. They gave place to misinterpretation and their version of the story was, most of the time, based on theories.

In those circumstances, many racist gestures took place, like everyone’s stare and attitude regarding the black people’s seats in the court. Most of all, the fact that Mabel and her husband took a seat downstairs, in the front row, close to Kya. I appreciated the judge’s words: everyone is allowed to stay anywhere in his court, no matter their race or sexuality was.

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Read here more book reviews

In the following part of the review, I will approach aspects of the book which will include possible spoilers.

Kya’s mother was forced by circumstances to initially leave her children. Even though she was in an awful state of mind, it was not an excuse for her actions. She decided leaving their home because of the domestic violence her husband put her through and all his drunk nights.

Regarding Kya’s relationship with the boys, they both were polar opposites. Tate tried to behave and adapt himself to her condition, trying not to upset her, but to help her. He showed how much he cared about her by supporting her in achieving her dreams, like the publishing of her books. He also taught her to read and get deeper in the essence of words. She was a genius, but her mind was still waiting to be truly and wholly discovered.

Chase’s sympathy for her began out of pride and wish to be cooler than the boys who put a bet on her. He would have been the one to win it. Even so, he became soon enough attracted to her mystery and natural way of acting. She was different than the rest of the girls, definitely an interesting person. So he tried to get right his mistake of fastening her and started saying big words which would thrill her heart. I don’t like to admit it, but he told her what she wanted to hear. They slept together during their relationship, but she always felt like everything seemed emotionless. His feelings were not honest.

The ending explained

Kya was declared not guilty in the trial and began building up her new life, reinventing herself. She got back with Tate, the boy who always protected and cared for her. Even though they were both in love with each other, it is not mentioned any marriage to have taken place between them. Even more, there’s a sequence when Kya told him they were married like geese, living together as a family, no documents needed:) They didn’t have any children and lived the rest of their life happily ever after,

I was almost sure, when I read about Kya getting older and dying, that something was about to be discovered soon. Tate found, in the floor, her poems, the ones written under a local poet’s pseudonym. Apparently, she was more discrete than he considered her. Getting further in her stuff, he found the shell necklace Chase was wearing on the night of his death. And also a strange poem. It was called “A Firefly” and was nothing but her confession.

She mentioned the habits of the female fireflies. Each species of fireflies had its specific lighting. The females copied another species’ and baited the male to them, killing him then. She compared the way she lured Chase in the Fire Tower with the female fireflies’ habit. A dark poem for an even darker action. Kya took the shell necklace off him, because it was one of the things that were still special to her. By letting Chase keep it, even after deeply betraying her, was like she let him keep a part of herself. One which she would never be able to take back.