Book: Where the Crawdads Sing
Author: Delia Owens
Genre: Historical Fiction, Murder Mystery, Romance
Pages: 400
Pace: Medium-Paced
Source: Amazon
Format: Kindle + Audiobook
Rating:
★★★ 3/5
Review:
Hello readers!!
Plot:
“Where the Crawdads Sing,” by Delia Owens is a murder mystery romance set in mid to late 1900s. Kya, also known as the marsh girl, was abandoned by her family. She learned how to survive in the marsh on her own and gradually found ways to become independent and financially secure. When one of her ex-lovers is found dead the evidence and circumstances lead to Kya becoming the prime suspect in the murder case. This is a story about surviving in nature at all costs.
TW: Domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual abuse, racism
BOOK THOUGHTS:
“I wasn’t aware that words could hold so much. I didn’t know a sentence could be so full.”
“Where the Crawdads Sing,” is a book about surviving as an outsider. People don’t know much about Kya other than the fact she lives in the marsh. This leads to the formation of several unpleasant rumors about her, which adversely affect her life leading her to grow up in a lonely environment.
I gave this book three stars because it didn’t live up to the hype around it. My expectations were high when I started this book, and yet I had a hard time getting through the first half of the book. The second half of the book was fast-paced but not as interesting as I had anticipated it to be. The courtroom drama felt “bland” and far too simple and easy. This could be because I usually read or watch a lot mysteries and courtroom dramas, therefore the mystery in this book did not appeal as much to me.
There were two Black American characters in this book, husband and wife, who were refered to as Jumpin and Mabel, respectively. Before I analyze anything I want you to know that my knowledge on Black American history is limited to a history course I took in University a couple years ago and any alternative research I may have done to self-educate myself. While reading (and listening) to this book what stood out to me was the way the Black American’s speach and dialogue differed from the rest of the characters in the book. I didn’t catch this as racisim right off the bat but it did make me feel quite uncomfortable and it made me question the reasoning behind it. I understand that the author may have wanted to represent the times while still having Kya as the main focus of this book, however, I wonder if it was necessary to portray these two characters in the manner Owens did. Was it necessary that they spoke differently from the rest of the characters? Was it necessary to keep these characters in the “shadows” eventhough Jumpin and Mabel’s roles were highly significant in this book? I could be reading into this more or less than I should be but I felt like it was important to mention the discomfort it caused me. If I missed something or misread something please let me know in the comments below.
My favorite characters:
Jumpin and Tate were my favorite characters in this book. Jumpin was a kind, supportive, and strong character. I admired how he helped Kya and had her back many times in this book knowing well how difficult it must have been for him to do so becuase of everything that was going on for Black Americans around 1950s and 1960s (I only mentioned these two decades because these are the two decades that were mentioned the most throughout the book). The book didn’t mention much about the segreation and what Jumpin and Mabel were going through during these times other than an instance where Kya defended Jumpin. Tate was really sweet and kind and I loved how he always suggested and adviced oppertunites to Kya that would make her more independant and successful in life. He was her number one fan. There were a couple of things that bothered me about him including the age gap between him and Kya when they became intimate with each other and how he left her as well. Overall, both of these characters looked out for Kya and supported her throughout the book.
Is this book worth the read?
It depends. It depends on the genre you enjoy reading, if you don’t read a lot of mystery then this could be a nice introduction and a way to ease you into it. If your curious about how Kya survives in the marsh and want to learn more about nature through her eyes you may find this to be an interesting read. However, I wouldn’t reccomend this book to readers who are familiar with mysteries and thrillers and typically enjoy reading books that keep you at the edge, because this book failed to do that for me. I liked the writing style of this book, but the flipping back and forth in time confused me a bit especially when I was listening to the book instead of reading it. This book may be worth the read for some readers but might be a waste of time for others. I would reccomend making the decision based on what genres you usually prefer to read.
FAVORITE QUOTES:
“Unworthy boys make a lot of noise.”
“If anyone would understand loneliness, the moon would.”
“Faces change with life’s toll, but eyes remain a window to what was…”
– Delia Owens, Where the Crawdads Sing
I hope you enjoyed reading this review!!!
Please let me know what your thoughts are on this book in the comment section below.
by Nav ♡
LunaLuminous 