Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Where do I even begin with this book that I fell in love with and that swept me off my feet?! Seriously, this book is amazing! I purchased this book because it was getting such raving reviews and wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. To be honest, I did not really think I would be as blown away as everyone else was. But, I am here to tell you all that I was incredibly wrong. I can’t recommend this book enough to everyone, specifically readers who love a good romance, mystery and coming of age story. And how amazing is it that this book encompasses all of these popular genres in one?! swoon Okay, enough about me and my feelings - let’s get to discussing this awesome read.

Our story begins with a 6 year old Kya Clark who is the youngest of five and lives with her family in a small shack in a marsh land just outside of a small town in North Carolina. They are very poor and because of this, people in the town, Barkley Cove, dislike the Clark family and think of them as outsiders. Kya doesn’t realize or mind this much as a child, but as she gets older, she realizes just how terrible people can be. Readers quickly realize the novel will include frequent time jumps from 1952 to 1969, so that we can see Kya grow and age while we also learn about the death of a local man, Chase Andrews, who has lived in Barkely Cove all his life. It doesn’t take long before the local police believe the death was caused by murder and the town immediately wants to pin the blame on the weird, different “Marsh Girl”.

As you can see from this short description, an important topic that is discussed in this story is how cruel humans can be to people who seem different to them. Because all of the townspeople of Barkley Cove have never met Kya, they’ve only ever seen her for a second or heard rumors about her, they assume the worst. While Kya does have a difficult beginning than most people in the town have, she is a super smart, resourceful and kind person and doesn’t deserve any of the negative ideas and allegations that are made about her. I think that if we all truly think about it, we are all guilty of this type of behavior. Fear of the unknown and of the different. I think it is important to reflect on these issues and try our best to overcome them. Being kind and caring about other people costs nothing!

My favorite part of this story was the love story portion of it. Because Kya has lived in the marsh her whole life and is aware of how the people in town view her, she does not interact with a lot of people. So, I think it is so lucky and perfect that she finds someone who loves the marshland just as much as she does. This someone’s name is Tate Walker and let me just tell you, he is GOALS. Sure, he has a few flaws that come up in the book but everyone has flaws and he is overall a wonderful person who stands by Kya through it all. I absolutely adore this relationship that grows between them in the book (literally smiling while typing this)! So pure, sweet and meant to be in my opinion. Of course, like any good romance story there are a few hiccups here and there within the book. But, that just makes the reading experience all the more enjoyable, I think! As a person who is in love and has found the person I want to be with, I thought the author really wrote everything in a relatable and reasonable way. The awesome thing about books is that you begin to feel like you know these characters and I 100% felt that way about this book. So much so that I wanted to immediately start rereading it as soon as I finished it (I am not exaggerating, my mom can back me up on this lol). I really want to hear from anyone who has read the book so we can discuss the whole thing, but particularly this love story because it really moved me.

In addition to this, I think the way the author explains the murder case is really great. Allowing readers to learn more about Kya while also jumping forward in time and learning more about how the case is unfolding made the story flow really well. It is also really neat to realize that at some point these two time frames are going to combine and we are going to get just one singular timeline! I liked that a lot and it was another little thing to look forward to as the story progresses. Once we get to the murder trial where Kya is the suspect, I was a complete wreck while reading. I am talking knots in my stomach, edge of my mind, almost sweating type of wreck lol. It still thrills me that books can have this affect on me! As soon as Kya was sentenced not guilty, I think I finally took a breath and calmed down for a bit. Until I got to the very end of the story when we find out that Kya does indeed kill Chase AND got away with it! I was absolutely floored by this because I couldn’t believe she didn’t break under the pressure of this secret in court or tell Tate about it during their time together. Plus keeping the necklace was pretty ballsy of her. I don’t like saying that I was okay with murder - but I think Chase definitely deserved what he got and I am glad Kya did not have to suffer the consequences. That probably sounds a little dark, but once you read the book I think you’ll see a little bit more why I am saying this haha. This segment of the story is what really sealed the deal for me on this book. I couldn’t believe all of the twists and turns that come into play and the ending blew me away. Writing this review is really making me want to reread it!! I think all murder mystery fans will love this portion of the story and I hope they will also be able to enjoy the other aspects.

Coming of age and environmentalism are both central themes within this novel, so I want to touch on them quickly. Kya’s childhood is incredibly heartbreaking to read about because she basically has to begin fending for herself at the age of 7. The whole time I read about her story, I was constantly amazed and inspired by how strong and resilient she is. I definitely don’t think I could have survived if I were in her place, so I admired her strong will numerous times throughout the novel. Readers also see Kya go from being illiterate and barely able to speak clear, understandable English to being a published biologist who teaches people about the environment and organisms within her marsh. This growth was so heartwarming to read about and I couldn’t help but feel so proud of her. And this is all thanks to her incredible friend and love, Tate, who had faith and believed in Kya and was always supporting her. They’re the perfect pair. Reading all of the details and imagery described about the marsh was really incredible to experience. I felt like I was there with Kya the whole time and could picture all of the scenes in my mind. Such a cool thing for me and I hope others will get to have this experience, if not with this book than with another! At times it almost felt as if the marsh were another character in the story because of the author’s wonderful wording coupled with Kya’s love for the place. It definitely made me want to go to a lake around where I live because that’s the only similar environment that I have within a short driving distance.

My favorite quote from this story is a little different than most quotes that I use for reviews because this one spoke to me for different reasons. Though it is an important statement regarding Kya’s personal growth and education, I liked this quote because it reminded me of why I fell in love with reading.

“I wasn't aware that words could hold so much. I didn't know a sentence could be so full.”

Books give me a feeling that most other things do not. I can feel transported to a whole new world with so many different people around me while still being right here in reality, almost like a mind out of body experience. Words are so incredibly powerful and have helped change the world numerous times throughout history. They continue to change me everyday, whether it is from books or from a teacher, a friend or family member. I just really resonated with this quote and I wanted to share it with you guys as I end this review! I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it and I truly hope I have persuaded some of you to read this book. I really don’t think you will regret it and if you do, I am fine taking that blame because I love it that much!

Final, Personal Opinion of the Book

I am pretty sure you are all pretty aware of how much I love this book by now, but I want to reiterate just a bit. I read this book in one day because I could not put it down. I was encapsulated by this story and all of the different plots being played out within it. I wanted to begin rereading the book as much as I finished it because I did not want it to end. I absolutely love this book and hope you do as well. If you end up reading it, please let me know what you think! I am dying to deeply discuss this book with someone who loves it just as much as I do.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

The first book I have reviewed that I wish I could give 6/5 stars! I seriously don’t have a single complaint about this novel, I loved every second that I spent reading it and I recommend it to all. A book that can successfully fulfill a murder msytery, a love story and the coming of age of the main character is a wonderful work in my opinion. I don’t know how many other ways I can say it - read this book!