Where the Crawdads Sing

“I wasn’t aware that words could hold so much. I didn’t know a sentence could be so full.”

It took me a bit of time, but on page 103 I fell in love with the use of two sentences written by Delia Owens.

Prior to those words, I was intrigued by Where the Crawdads Sing but not enough to keep me reading into the late hours of the night. With those words and the epiphany that follows, Kya’s world changes, and mine did too.

Where the Crawdads Sing follows the life of the Clark family, primarily focusing on Kya’s experiences. At a young age, she is left to fend for herself in the marshy wilderness of North Carolina. She must learn to find food and safety while learning to navigate the marsh and townspeople along the way. Kya learns about loneliness to a depth only known by wildlife, but what she finds is security in herself and her land.

As Kya ages, she slowly forms relationships with a few locals. She is hesitant at first, but once she opens up, she lives for moments of community. That is until she is left again and again.

Because she is the outcast of the community, Kya quickly becomes an easy target and suspect after the death of her ex-boyfriend, Chase. As most of the town rallies to prove she is guilty of murder, a few join together to show the true character and innocence of Kya’s life and experiences.

Where the Crawdads Sing lives up to the hype, and I recommend everyone give it a read.