Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Rating: 16+—Descriptions of sex and sexuality. Scenes of violence and attempted sexual assault.
For months my younger sister begged me to read Delia Owens’ Where the Crawdads Sing. She even went so far as to put a hold on the novel at our local library so I could get my hands on a copy. She insisted that I needed to finish the book before the film was released, and so, dear reader, I eventually found myself vicariously embarking through the marshes of North Carolina. While the film adaptation debuted this past Friday, the book has also become infamous because its author, Delia Owens, has become embroiled in several controversies. For more information on the author, here is a link. However, for all the drama surrounding this work, this review will be sticking solely to covering this book and its story.
Where the Crawdads Sing opens in 1969 with the discovery of a body in the small, seaside town of Barkley Cove, North Carolina. The victim is none other than Chase Andrews, a prominent, handsome man, but a notable philanderer in the community. The sheriff and other officers begin to puzzle out whether his death was a tragic accident or the result of something more sinister.
The story then flashes back to the year 1952, where a little girl named Kya Clark watches as her mother departs, leaving behind Kya, her four older siblings, and their alcoholic, abusive father. One by one Kya’s older siblings depart, leaving Kya alone to survive with their father. Stuck in their family’s small, rundown shack deep in the marsh, Kya begins to learn how to fend for herself. Rejected as “swamp trash” by the townspeople, Kya dodges truant officers and social service workers, taking refuge in the world of the marsh. As time passes, Kya becomes more and more connected to its unique ecosystem and the animals that call it home.
Yet for all the beauty of the marsh, Kya faces the hollow feeling of solitude, and longs for human connection. As she grows older, she endures heartbreak, grief, and prejudice as the town slowly grows more suspicious and rumor-filled about the “Marsh Girl.”
Enraptured by Kya’s determination, it was easy for me to understand why this book became a bestseller. The story is well-told and is filled with numerous twists and turns as the plot progresses. The novel also does an excellent job of encouraging the reader to marvel at the natural beauty found in North Carolina’s marshes and coastlines. I’ll be honest, I have lived in the south for my entire life, and, especially when you live in Florida, you tend to encounter swamps and marshes. I attended the University of Florida, where our football stadium is famously nicknamed, “The Swamp.” From my personal experience, these areas are hot, humid, and filled with biting insects. However, Where the Crawdads Sing did present me with a new perspective on the marsh. Seeing this world through Kya’s eyes and learning more about its importance and the numerous creatures who live there, from insects to birds, gave it a new kind of beauty. The author of this work is a naturalist herself, and her passion for this subject shows through the vivid descriptions and science that readers learn, and it leaves you with a newfound respect for this environment.
Beyond the plot and its environmentalism, I also deeply appreciated how almost all the characters in the story were fleshed out and felt like real people. Even the best characters (aside from the wonderful Jumpin’ and his wife, Mabel) make mistakes and have moments of flawed reasoning and judgment. And even characters notorious for their cruelty, like Kya’s father, have moments of kindness and regret. Speaking to how people are both/and, rather than just good or bad, elevates the novel and enhances the story.
It is a book that ultimately makes you think—after you turn the last page, you lean back and have to sit for a while, digesting everything you just read. You question the story, the characters, maybe even your own morality as you mull everything over. It is a strong blend of mystery, romance, and an exploration of the natural world. I highly recommend this novel to those looking for a fascinating summer read.
I also want to include a new feature on my blog where I recommend books that I felt were similar to the works I discuss, especially to those who enjoyed these titles. If you liked Where the Crawdads Sing, I believe you should look into Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns. It also takes place in a small southern town. However, the town is in Georgia rather than North Carolina, and it is set in a slightly different time period, as the story opens in the early, rather than the mid-20th century. However, despite these differences, Cold Sassy Tree contains similar themes of trying to find acceptance and love in a town where gossip and social stigma is rife. If you’re curious about exploring more southern literature, then I also think that Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell is a great book to read. Gone with the Wind is the story of a woman’s struggle for survival during the Civil War and the post-war period. While you might not like Scarlett O’Hara, it is hard to deny that she is a strong woman who is determined to stay alive and has strong ties to the land, in a manner similar to Kya. Another classic southern novel that I was reminded of when reading Where the Crawdads Sing was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It also features a female lead in a coming-of-age narrative and contains a famous trial sequence. I hope that these recommendations will lead you to your next great book!
If you would like to continue to my more spoiler-filled analysis of Where the Crawdads Sing, please feel free. However, know that if you read ahead that there will be serious spoilers, and that they will majorly impact the way that you read the book going forward.
Major Spoilers Ahead:
This book is filled with motifs of the predatory female. The author includes several allusions to the female praying mantis, who eats the head of her mate, and also female fireflies, who use their lights to lure males into becoming their next meals. So I suppose it shouldn’t have come as such a surprise when we ultimately learn, at the very end of the novel, that Kya did kill Chase Andrews. However, once I learned that Kya was a murderer, it changed my whole perspective on the novel. It is a great twist, but it also caused me to reevaluate the character of Kya and the events of the story. First off, I felt less concern that she spent two months in jail prior to appearing in court. At least she did have some punishment for taking a man’s life. Moreover, while Kya is still a sympathetic character, it did make me question her morality. Readers do not get to learn Kya’s feelings about the murder, as we only discover her actions after she has passed away. Nonetheless, based on her relief after being declared innocent, and the happy life she lives with Tate, it seems that she did not feel much, or any, guilt or remorse over her actions. While Chase Andrews was not a good man, I don’t believe he deserved to be murdered.
However, I can understand Kya’s possible motivations. Kya grew up with an alcoholic and abusive father. She later learned that her father‘s actions caused her mother to go into an almost catatonic state before she eventually died from cancer. After enduring and witnessing vicious beatings, as well as discovering her mother’s tragic fate, Kya knew the deadly effects that a violent man could wreak on women and children. Maybe Kya was afraid that Chase Andrews would become like her father. Maybe she assumed that by killing him she was saving Chase’s wife and any future children from suffering a fate similar to that of Kya, her mother, and her siblings. It could also have been out of a sense of self-preservation, after Chase Andrews attacked Kya and nearly raped her. Perhaps Kya felt like she could not be truly safe until he was gone, especially as he was a prominent member of the community. Still, to murder a man in cold blood is a dramatic action.
It also was a surprising twist since a huge part of the book is dedicated to proving Kya‘s innocence, and establishing that it would have taken a great deal of careful planning and effort to murder Chase. A major problem that I had with Kya being the murderer is that it reinforces the prejudice that the townspeople held against her, rather than disproving it. The trial of Kya for Chase’s murder became a symbolic proceeding. Would the people of Barkley Cove continue in their backwards ways, and further exile Kya, perhaps even taking her life? Or would they finally treat her fairly, judging her as a fellow human being, rather than a marsh creature? When Kya is declared innocent, it feels like the townspeople are finally doing the right thing. To know that the suspicions about Kya were true, rather than baseless conjecture, takes away from the reformation of the town and the acknowledgement of their cruel actions. It also detracts from the ardent trust placed in Kya by Tate, Tate’s father, Jumpin’, Mabel, Tom, and even Kya’s editor. All of them had such explicit faith in her, and it was sad to know that in some ways it was betrayed.
Let me make it clear: Chase Andrews was not a good man. He was a liar, a cheater, a manipulator, and nearly a rapist. It’s understandable that Kya was deeply upset and would want to do him harm, or prevent further harm from coming upon herself. However, while there is some moral gray area surrounding this issue, I think it can be agreed that murder is not the first, nor the best solution, for dealing with a despicable man.
I also thought it was interesting how the novel approached the topic of flawed and dangerous men. Kya’s life is continuously shaped by the thoughtless and cruel actions of men. We learn that Kya’s father lied to her mother about his wealth to trick her into marrying him. He then beats Kya, her siblings, and her mother before eventually abandoning her. Tate claims that he loves Kya, but then he ultimately also abandons her for years before making a remorseful return. Chase Andrews promises her marriage and a beautiful life, only to be completely lying. Although Tate is a better man than Chase Andrews, it is notable that both of them use Kya to satisfy their sexual desires. It was overwhelmingly creepy to me that Tate, Kya’s good friend and the former best friend of her brother, nearly slept with a then-15-year-old Kya, especially when he was a senior in high school, meaning that he was probably 18 years old. His lust and lack of self-control was disturbing, even though he did, at the very last second, stop himself. Chase Andrews is worse. He manipulates Kya into sleeping with him and then brags about his escapades to his friends in town. Chase Andrews also lies to her, promising that he will marry Kya, when in reality he is dating another girl, whom he eventually marries. He then attempts to rape Kya after she repeatedly rejects him. The story honestly reminded me of a Jane Austen novel in how it warns young women about the manipulations of men. While neither Tate nor Chase Andrews fall into the explicit categories of Darcys or Wickhams, in many ways it still felt like a cautionary tale for women about being wise in the choice of men they surround themselves with—to be aware of a man’s character and motivations.
Of course, Kya is not a helpless heroine continuously tossed from one man to the next. (When she beat up Chase Andrews I couldn’t help but let out a cheer!) She’s her own person—she is brilliant, resourceful, and curious about the world around her. She’s a strong woman whose youth, loneliness, and isolation causes her to sometimes overlook the negative qualities of a person. As stated earlier, this really is a novel that makes you reflect on the characters, the issues it presents, and its many messages. So now, dear reader, I feel that I can only conclude this post by offering thanks to my little sister for insisting I read Where the Crawdads Sing, and encouraging others to do the same.
