Since its publication in 2018, Delia Owens’ coming-of-age murder mystery novel ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ has caught the attention of book worms far and wide and in 2021, won the British Book Award for Page-Turner of the year. So… what is it about and is it worth the read? (no spoilers)
Set in the marshlands of North Carolina, the novel follows six-year-old Kya’s adolescense as she navigates life after being stranded by her siblings and mother who leave to escape the abuse of her dipsomaniacal father.
Heartbroken by the loss of everything she knew, Kya remains determined and learns to cook and co-exist with her unstable Pa as the two even enjoy fleeting moments of rapport on boat rides through the marsh, inspiring her adoration of the natural world.
However, once he too leaves, Kya becomes fully subject to solitude, a state only worsened by her seclusion from mainstream society as her lack of attendance to school and reputation as ‘marsh girl’ prevent her from forming any friendships.
This all changes when she finds Tate Walker, local schoolboy, has been leaving her feathers to find as gifts and the two become close as Tate teaches her to read and write, a skill she uses to become a successful illustrator.
However once this innocent friendship blossoms into puppy love, danger looms as Tate must leave for university, and Kya is once again wounded by the stab of abandonment, everything she ever loves always leaving - ‘…promises meant nothing. People left.’
Owens cleverly uses a dual narrative to contrast this period of Kya’s life to a much more trying, frustrating era in her adulthood when she becomes the prime suspect in the murder case of Chase Andrews, a wealthy young man from town whom she courts once Tate leaves.
Their relationship is complex and ultimately toxic; whilst the two don’t share the emotional synchrony Tate and Kya once had, they are drawn to one another and Kya sees him as an escape from loneliness.
When the trial begins, townspeople are quick to assume Kya’s verdict as guilty, placing her position in society above the lack of evidence against her thereby sparking a conversation on the impact of the social hierarchy on judgement for readers.
The novel carries heavy messages and raises several questions like how the desire for comfort can overpower the ability to set healthy standards for love, the importance of social interaction and flaws in the pursuit of justice.
To find out the final verdict and discover the plot twist at the end, surely give it a read!
