The marsh did not confine them but defined them and, like any sacred ground, kept their secrets deep.
Where the Crawdads Sing
by Delia Owens
Genre: Historical Fiction
About: When Chase Andrews, the town's leading man, is found dead in the marsh, the community is left in a state of shock. But there can only be one answer: The Marsh Girl. Half myth, half shame, she's been abandoned in the marsh since she was a child. If any one could kill a man and leave no trace, it's her.
The Good
This book is really defined by its setting, and that setting is beautifully told. The language of the marsh is profound. It shapes not only Kya, but a whole history of a town and through it we come to understand something larger about nature and our place in it. Or rather, how the society we build for ourselves is not as far removed from our wild roots are we'd like to believe. I really loved this homage to nature, it gave the book such a unique voice and was so visual to read. Small moments came alive through the descriptions and I can totally see why this has been made into a movie - everything was so easy to picture.
The Bad
The mystery aspect of this novel wasn't as gripping as it could have been. Of course I was curious (and later satisfied) with the question of Who Killed Chase Andrews. Yet we don't really get many suspects and Kya's love affairs are too self-aware. It isn't a love triangle - Kya is never in love with Chase and the will they/won't they of her and Tate was a bit forced at times. The romances felt like plot points, I couldn't get lost in them as they were told in such an obvious way. We're never fooled by Chase, and we know she loves Tate.
The Somewhat Iffy
I don't really see how Kya's entire family could decide to abandon a child. Sure, the mother had a nervous breakdown, but every single one of the grown-up children decide to leave Kya - a girl just barely turned school age. Deaths would have made more sense to me than that.
I also did really appreciate that the dialogue was so authentic in the North Carolina accent, but there was a lot of just plain badly written dialogue. When Chase attacks Kya, he talks like an exaggerated villain. Or when Kya explains how things really are to characters, it comes across as the author explaining things. Sometimes I loved the dialogue, other times I couldn't picture a real person saying those things.
And while I loved the ending, especially with that poem, very brilliantly done, I also thought it was a bit odd on the messaging. The town is prejudiced towards Kya and she feels such rage and shame of being accused of murder, and yet we could take away that the town was right to suspect her as she did done murder him.
Overall
A read that sticks with you. Deep, troubled history is layered throughout but its the atmosphere of the marsh that takes over everything and doesn't let go.
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