ETitle: Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Publisher: Putnam Books

Verdict: 5/5

In a nutshell (Amazon):

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 Karen Russell, 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.

My thoughts:

Kya was different. She lived in the marsh. She didn’t have any friends. And everyone avoided her like a plague. After being teased on her first day of school, she never returned.

Her family left her at a very young age. She learned independence and to embrace loneliness at a tender age of 7. Kya longed to be wanted and cared for, but love failed her time and time again. First Tate, then Chase. She learned that the more she gave, the less she’d have of herself; that “needing people ended in hurt”, and she had been hurt enough. Isolating herself deeper into the marsh, she found solace – she felt at home, as “nature had nurtured, tutored, and protected her when no one else would.”

But life for Kya her took a twisted turn when she became the suspect of the murder of Chase Andrew (an assh**e of a guy I must say). She thought that she was done for because the entire town was against her – she was the Marsh Girl, the bitter ex-lover, pining for a married man. So was she guilty or not? The ending definitely caught me by surprise.

This novel isn’t too be missed. It’s tender, touching and tantilizing. You’d fall in love with the independent and intelligent Kya, the ever faithful friend Tate (I love Tate!!) , and the compassionate Jumpin’ and Mabel. As for Chase, you’d just want to give him a big tight slap.

Where The Crawdads Sing is one of those novels you’d want to savor, ponder, and relish. The writing itself will sweep you off your feet and take you to a world different from your own, deep into the marsh, “way out yonder where the crawdads sing.”

Definitely one of the best novels I’ve read this year.

Have you read this gem? What did you think of it? If you haven’t, you got to put down everything now and read it this instant! 😀

Till then, HAPPY READING!!