Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
I read so much hype about this book. It popped up in multiple book blogs I follow, including the Spanish ones, where the book’s title is Niña Salvaje, “Wild Girl.” Needless to say, I was thrilled when my aunt gifted me a copy.
Back Cover 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.”
Characters
Kya’s perspective is engaging and endearing. Owns builds sympathy for her by describing her less-than-ideal home life. The story portrays her ascent to adulthood with such intimacy that the reader understands why she prefers nature to “civilization.”
Her two love interests, Tate and Chase, contrast each other nicely. I rather liked her relationship with Tate. Unlike a lot of love story subplots, they had common ground on which to base their relationship. Chase falls into the typical “star quarterback” stereotype, but Owens gets away with it by contrasting him with Tate. The other towns folk are exactly the sort of quirky one expects from a small town.
Plot
The story progresses in parallel timelines—one relating the murder-mystery, the other Kya’s coming-of-age. To me, the murder-mystery lacked the intense “who-done-it” factor that characterizes that genre, but the main point of the book was Kya’s life story. The murder-mystery served to highlight the town’s prejudice, Kya’s motives, and Kya’s development into a successful Marsh expert.
“Let me know what you think of the ending,” my grandmother said when she saw the book on my coffee table. She didn’t like it. It wasn’t quite the twist I expected, but to be honest, I have no strong feelings about it. The book would have been fine without it, but isn’t destroyed by its presence.
Writing Style
This is not the book to squeeze into the 5-minute breaks in your day. Where the Crawdads Sing is a story to be enjoyed while basking in the sunshine at the beach or while curled next to a fireplace, snowed in for the weekend. It took me a while to get into this story because I had just finished a heart-pounding WWII tale.
Owen’s prose is heavily descriptive, but not in a bad way. Her metaphors fit the setting and are so creative they resemble poetry. While the WWII tale shot words out like bullets from an automatic rifle, Owens words languish on the page, making the reader want to savor them before moving on.
I am glad I opted to read this book in English. I would have been lost in all that descriptive language had I read Niña Salvaje. I also think the cultural language of the Southern small town would be lost in translation.
One thing I noted was the author enjoyed describing Kya’s food and clothing in detail. Though they made me hungry, the food descriptions added detail to the setting. The descriptions of clothing helped show Kya aging (skirts fell first to her ankles, then her knees, etc), but struck me as odd.
Aside from a couple instances of head-hopping mid-paragraph, Owens writing was a joy to read.
Miscellaneous
I wish the girl on the cover drove a shallow boat instead of paddling a canoe. One of the poems in the book mentions a girl in a canoe, but Kya’s boat and its appearance are more relevant to the plot.
Conclusion
If you enjoy the music of a well-written metaphor, can pass hours lost in the world of a book, and stop to smell the roses while you read, I recommend this book. Rather than the heart-pounding staccato of more thrilling tales, this book reads like a legato violin solo. A nice change of pace that I wouldn’t have regretted purchasing if I didn’t have generous family members.
Let me know what you think of the ending.
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C.C. The Word Nerd 
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