Book Review: Where The Crawdads Sing

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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 Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life – until the unthinkable happens.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is a painfully beautiful first novel that is at once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative and a celebration of nature.

It follows the story of six year old Kya Clark, aka the ‘Marsh Girl’. Kya was brought up living in a swamp with her parents and siblings. One by one, her siblings start to leave home unable to deal with their drunken father’s outbursts. One heartbreaking day, Kya’s ma also leaves. Kya stands and waits every day for her Ma to return to home, but she never does meaning Kya is left alone with her pa.

For a while Kya finds a way to bond with her drunk of a dad, but soon he too leaves and Kya is left to fend for herself. Luckily Kya’s ma had taught Kya some basic skills such as how to cook grits. Her brother, Jodie, and at times her Pa taught her how to navigate the swamp by boat. This means Kya is able to feed herself and use the boat to go over to jumpin jacks shack to sell some fish she catches to make a little bit of money.

Every now and again, Kya ventures into town for supplies, but this is something she tries not to do. The townsfolk call her marsh trash and don’t want her near their children.

Throughout Kya’s childhood she collects feathers, studies the marsh life and the plants that grow there etc. For so called ‘marsh trash’ Kya is highly intelligent, strong and very capable of looking after herself, even if she is just six years old.

She knows the marsh better than anyone, so one day, when people from the local authority turn up to take her to school, she manages to hide from them. However, one day she does allow herself to be caught and she goes to school. Unfortunately, Kya does not like school and after just one day, she vows never to return.

Months pass by until one day Kya sees a feather left purposely on a rock. The same thing happens the following day and so on until she discovers that one of her brothers friends, Tate, has been leaving them there for her.

Overtime, Kya allows herself to trust Tate and in turn he teaches her how to read, write her name and even brings her books from the library to read.

It’s clear that Tate and Kya have feelings for one another, but one day Tate tells Kya that he has to go to university. He promises to return to her, but he never does. He believes Kya would never fit into civilisation and that she is best living in the marsh.

Months and years pass by and Kya delves deeper into herself. We follow her into adulthood and soon she strikes up a relationship with so called ‘jock’, Chase Andrews. He’s from a wealthy family and all the girls want to be with him, but it appears, to just Kya at least, that he’s chosen her as the girl he wants, however all is not as it seems.

One day Chase Andrews’ lifeless body is found near the marsh and a murder investigation ensues, but all is not as it seems.

Where the Crawdads Sing is a tale of escapism, romance, crime and survival. I highly recommend it. It’s such a fascinating read. I found myself immersing myself into Kya’s world. Imaging what the marsh, her home and her life was like. I don’t often get emotional when reading books, but Where the Crawdads Sing had me in tears on more than one occasion. Delia Owens writes very well and I can’t wait to read more of her work.

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You can buy Where the Crawdads Sing online from Amazon here.