Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens Book Review

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Where the Crawdads Sing follows Kya Clark. Kya is nicknamed the “Marsh Girl” because she grew up alone in the marshlands of North Carolina. She was abandoned by her family at a very young age and learns to survive on her own. First, her mother left because of her father’s abusive behavior, then her brothers and two sisters also left. For a short while after that, her father began to treat her a little better but after receiving a letter from her mother, resumed his usual behavior with alcohol and one day, he just never returned.

Despite her isolation, Kya forms brief connections with two local men named Tate and Chase. She and Tate first connected when she was only 15 years old. He was her first love buthe left her and went away for his college. Kya later started a relationship with Chase. Chase would hide her from his family and friends but kept promising her a future with him. Year later, when Chase is found dead, Kya becomes the prime suspect in the murder investigation.

The story alternates between Kya’s life and the mystery of Chase’s death and reveals secrets about both their lives.

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Title: Where the Crawdads Sing
Author: Delia Owens
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction
Year of Publication: 2018
Date of Publication: August 14, 2018
Pages: 384
ISBN-10: 0735219095
ISBN-13: 978-0735219090
Audiobook Narrator: Cassandra Campbell

Our Rating of This Book

Main Plot & Characters

Kya Clark (Catherine Danielle Clark): Kya grows up isolated in the North Carolina marsh after her family abandons her.
Tate Walker: Kya’s childhood friend and first love. He teaches her to read and shares her love of nature.
Chase Andrews: Chase is a man who becomes romantically involved with Kya. His death becomes the center of the murder investigation.
Jumpin’ (James Madison): He is a man who owns a gas and supply dock. He and his wife are among Kya’s few friends and supporters.
Mabel Madison: Jumpin’s kind wife who helps Kya with clothes and food.
Jodie Clark (Jeremy Andrew Clark): Kya’s older brother. He eventually returns to reconnect with her as an adult.
Pa (Mr. Clark): Kya’s abusive, alcoholic father who drives the family away.
Ma (Mrs. Clark): Kya’s mother who leaves the family when Kya is very young.
Missy, Murph, and Mandy: They are Kya’s siblings.
Scupper: He is Tate’s father.
Sheriff Ed Jackson: He is the sheriff who investigates Chase’s death.
Deputy Joe Purdue: He works with Sheriff Ed.
Patti Love and Sam Andrews: They are Chase parents.
Pearl: She is Chase’s widow.
Sarah Singletary: Clerk at the piggly wiggly market.
Eric Chastain: He is the prosecuting attorney in Chase Andrews’ case.
Tom Milton: The lawyer who defends Kya during her murder trial.
Judge Sims: The judge in Chase Andrews’ case.
Sunday Justice: The courthouse cat.
Robert Foster: He was Kya’s editor.
Larry Price: A bus driver.

Writing Style

Delia Owens’ tells the story using alternating timelines. Her writing is very descriptive. She writes in a way that you can easily envision the beauty and mystery of the world Kya lives in. As a reader, you feel like you are a part of Kya’s surroundings.

Memorable Quotes

“I wadn’t aware that words could hold so much. I didn’t know a sentence could be so full.”— Narration (Kya to Tate, reflecting on learning to read)
“There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot.”— Narration
“Autumn leaves don’t fall, they fly. They take their time and wander on this their only chance to soar.”— Narration
“She knew the years of isolation had altered her behavior until she was different from others, but it wasn’t her fault she’d been alone.”— Narration
“Please don’t talk to me about isolation. No one has to tell me how it changes a person. I have lived it. I am isolation”— Kya
“Sometimes she heard night-sounds she didn’t know or jumped from lightning too close, but whenever she stumbled, it was the land that caught her.”— Narration
“Kya laid her hand upon the breathing, wet earth, and the marsh became her mother.”— Narration
“A swamp knows all about death, and doesn’t necessarily define it as tragedy, certainly not a sin.”— Narration (prologue)
“Being isolated was one thing; living in fear, quite another.”— Narration
“Unworthy boys make a lot of noise.”— Ma (Mrs. Clark)
“To the Feather Boy. Thank you From the Marsh Girl.”— Kya’s words on the book she signed for Tate
“A lesser male needs to shout to be noticed.”— Kya’s reflections
“and he was my pa.”— Kya
“Luring him was as easy As flashing valentines.”— A line from an Amanda Hamilton poem

Impact of Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing includes mystery, romance, and survival. It sparks discussions about how our experiences and families shape our lives. The novel’s success led to a film adaptation released in 2022, directed by Olivia Newman and starring Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kya.

The novel became extremely popular shortly after it’s release. It topped The New York Times Best Sellers list for 32 non-consecutive weeks. The New York Times praised it as a “painfully beautiful first novel that is at once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative, and a celebration of nature.”

In 2020, Where the Crawdads Sing was longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award. Audie Award Nomination.

Have you had a chance to read this book? Share your thoughts and until next time, keep turning those pages.