Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
G.P Putnam’s Sons, 2018
For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast, so in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect the Marsh Girl. But Kya Clark is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone, making friends with birds and learning lessons from the marsh. When the time comes that Kya yearns to be touched and loved, and two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens.
Delia Owens has an incredible gift of being able to shape a story’s location into its own character. In Where The Crawdads Sing, the marsh has a personality as strong as any other character.
And the marsh might be Kya’s only constant friend. Consider what the marsh did, specifically, for Kya in her most significant time of need. (If you haven’t read the book, don’t worry—no spoilers here!)
I was a late arrival to the Delia Owens party. By the time I got to Crawdads, the novel had sold over four million copies, been on the New York Times bestseller list for more than a year, and sparked countless book club discussions.
Part of me wishes I had read the book earlier. Part of me appreciates that everything happens in its own time.
What about you, reader? Is there a book that everyone is talking about that you’ve put off reading? And when you read, do you enjoy getting to know the setting as much as you get to know other characters?
