Where the Crawdads Sing

By Julia Padgett

Bestselling author Rick Bragg recently gave a speech in which he indicated how writing needs to be redolent and color the world it is depicting. Delia Owens novel, Where the Crawdads Sing, speaks to that redolence and how rewarding it can be to the reader.

Owens novel weaves a murder mystery into the story of Kya a girl abandoned by everyone who is left to survive at a very young age in the marshes of the North Carolina coast. The novels opening is a testament to being able to paint a picture of a place and a people all but abandoned by society. Readers can vividly picture a little girl being left, one-by-one, by family members until she realizes that nature is her family.

Where the Crawdads Sing tackles heavy issues that are still around today but does so in a way that makes you recognize the people and the lives. It can make you gaze a bit into your own knee-jerk reactions to those you may not understand. There are bleak moments, sad moments, but it rings true rather than merely sentimental.

Owens pulls you into Kyas life, her fears, her heart, and eventually her triumph over the numerous obstacles that she faces including a society that rejects her for being different. This story examines the gray areas in life, how even the most violent can have redeeming qualities, and how the purest among us must fight to be free of fear.

Kya, Tate, and Chase are three characters that will let you down and still make you smile. And nature is always in the background revealing the animality of our human hearts. This novel is also a sort of love story of North Carolina and its coastal areas. Readers will get pulled into the place just as much as they are drawn to its inhabitants. This book will grab you and not let you go until you are left on the beach with shells underfoot wanting a bit more.