Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Summary

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.

Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Celeste Ng, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

Comments

We all thoroughly enjoyed and recommend ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’. We loved the descriptive writing, the poetry, the imagery and the recurring use of the firefly motif. There was an understanding of nature and our connection to it. The central character exhibited resilience in the face of undeserved prejudice and mistreatment. She bore no malice but did what she had to to survive. The importance of education to her and the empowerment it gave her also resonated with us. This book made us angry in parts, made us cry in others and gave us a deeper appreciation of disparity and entitlement and left us all moved.

Read by MJ Readers Book club