Review ~ Where the Crawdads Sing ~ Delia Owens #UnearthingaBookishBounty

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Published by GP Putnam's Sons on August 14, 2018
Genres: Adult, Historical, Mystery, Realistic Fiction
Pages: 384
Format: Hardback
Source: Purchase

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.

Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, 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.

Where the Crawdads Sing was a marvel. I really have no words. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to do this story justice in a review but here’s my first attempt: Where the Crawdads Sing is beautiful, lyrical, emotional, thought-provoking, eloquent, and…just, amazing! A true gem!

Kya is a young girl – a little girl – living in a shack in the swamp in 1950’s North Carolina. She’s abandoned by her family, one by one, and the marsh adopts her. This story, her story, is about how capable and resilient Kya is, raising herself with a little help from Mother Nature. Or maybe Mother Earth. She also has some help from a “colored couple.” It’s about loneliness and its effects on a person, particularly when it starts at a young age. Kya’s story is about how a lonely child becomes a lonely young adult and yearns for connection. And, how she’s affected when a connection is made.

There is also a murder mystery that deals with theories, preconceived notions and prejudices. And Where the Crawdads Sing is also a love story, an ode to the beauty, power, and life that is our Earth.

I’m barely scraping the surface here. What you should know is that Where the Crawdads Sing was moving and poignant. And I’m betting it’ll make my top 3 for best books read in 2020. I strongly urge you to pick it up and NOT wait months to read it as I did. You won’t regret meeting Kya.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• Unearthing a Bookish Bounty 2020

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