Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Reviewed by: Beth Weimer, Communications Specialist
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Suggested Age: Teen, Adult
What is this Book About?: Abandoned by her family and shunned by her community, Kya, the Marsh Girl must learn to survive on her own in the coastal wetlands of North Carolina in the 1950s. Kya’s world is one of full of wild creatures, natural beauty, and deep isolation. As she explores the wondrous and cruel dichotomies of nature, she must also learn to navigate relationships with people and the love and misery those connections can bring. As an adult, her connection to a murder in the swamp divides the town and threatens to destroy the quiet life she’s so carefully constructed.
My Review: “I wasn’t aware that words could hold so much. I didn’t know a sentence could be so full.” I usually don’t go for buzz books, but this one came to me strongly recommended by my mother and actually lives up to all the hype. I don’t know that a swamp – or a life of isolation – has ever sounded more beautiful. Anyone who’s ever sat alone with nature or who’s ever ached to belong will connect with Kya and the creatures and humans that fill her life. Admittedly there are some gaps in the plot I wish Owens had filled in, but the striking imagery and rhythm of her writing were absorbing enough to just enjoy the flow of the narrative. More than merely a mystery or romance, Owens wraps story of survival in layers of Southern culture, naturalist observations, and themes of prejudice, familial violence, and resilience that are engrossing to unpack. As this was Owens’ first novel, I imagine her next will be even better.
Three Words That Describe This Book: lush, haunting, (full of) yearning
Give This a Try if You Like… The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, Everything that Rises Must Converge by Flannery O’Conner, The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Rating: 4.5/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
