Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

5/5 stars

Literally, everything about this book is beautiful, and I could leave it at that if I wanted to.

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING is a gentle yet symbolic depiction of the valiant survival of Kya Clark—a reclusive young girl who her parents have abandoned, siblings, school system, the entire town surrounding her, and what ultimately feels like life itself.

Something that is probably the most notable feature of this novel would be the writing. The way Owens uses imagery to convey the marsh in which Kya lives is nothing other than pure talent. I could picture every detail as if I was standing at the cabin with Kya as she waited for Tate’s boat to roll up. I could almost smell the saltiness of the sea and the sweetness of new love. With her parents and siblings abandoning her with her abusive father, mother nature has quite literally become her caretaker; she speaks to the bird and the water during times of loneliness before she finds her footing as an independent woman. The reader is guided through the descriptions of the marsh as the marsh has guided Kya.

After her abandonment, at the age of fifteen Kya and a boy from down the North Carolina coast, Tate, share a relationship that begins with Tate teaching Kya how to read and write and develops into something romantic until Tate decides to leave for College. While he is away, the town’s Golden Boy and star quarterback, Chase Andrews takes an interest in Kya, as the town calls her “the Marsh Girl”.

Another aspect of Owens’s writing that I fell in love with was how she depicted Kya and her life alone at the Marsh. Although she was deeply involved with both of these boys whose lives consisted of going into town and being a part of the community, the readers are sucked into Kya’s marsh world and are only ever told about the outside community by Tate, Chase, or by Kya herself when she occasionally goes to see her close friend, Jumpin’.

The characters are so complex and provide a compelling contribution to the analysis of the plot. Since Kya has been alone for so many years, the only heavy interaction with people is through Tate and Chase. It was fascinating observing how their personas affected Kya throughout her life. Tate’s non-return back to Kya’s marsh cabin on July 4th after college causes Kya to be closed off and non-trusting after he had broken a promise. Consequently, her developed distrust causes her judgment of Character to be misplaced when it comes to Chase Andrews.

In conclusion, it was a fabulous read and heartbreaking in so many ways. My heart repeatedly broke for Kya, who was isolated by her community and family and grew up in solitude. She is truly a character that I will never forget, and her story’s end will stay with me forever.