“Where the Crawdads Sing”: Book+Movie Review
August 19, 2022 | Dara Marie | @thornfield_laneDelia Owens's bestselling drama, Where the Crawdads Sing, has been on my ‘to-read’ list for over a year. In fact, I bought a copy with every intention of reading it back in the spring of 2021. For numerous reasons I won’t get into here, I sadly did not read it until last week. And, man–I wish I hadn’t waited so long.
I adored this novel from the first chapter.
The story follows Kya Clark, an impoverished young woman in the North Carolina marshes. Abandoned by her family at seven and shunned by the local town as an outsider, she’s had to learn how to survive on her own; selling muscles and fish for enough money to buy grits. Beyond a couple of romantic flings that ended in heartbreak, the marshes have been her only comfort. Her isolated life is disrupted when the body of Chayse Andrews, the town’s hot shot, is found dead under mysterious circumstances and all eyes turn to the ‘marsh girl’.
The novel jumps between the ongoing investigation, arrest, and trial in 1969-1970 and explores Kya’s younger years starting in 1952. A raw look at social structure, relationships, and seclusion, it’ll give you a new outlook on what quantifies innocence or guilt.
Published in 2018, the murder mystery coming-of-age story received instant acclaim and has since sold over 15 million copies worldwide.
I reiterate my love for this novel. It had just about everything for me. The main character’s struggles were rooted in real-life psychology and I quickly connected to her. I experienced everything from pride to devastation right alongside her. The romances, both the good and the bad, felt realistic and I could picture myself in her shoes beside each man. I’m also a sucker for consistent nature imagery and bouncing timelines that made up this book. It felt like a mix of To Kill A Mockingbird and The Glass Castle with a sprinkle of The Shell Collector–all of which are works I revere.
My favorite thing about Crawdads, though, has to be the mystery. There’s an elephant in the room from page one and even the final paragraph leaves you wondering what exactly happened. That might sound terribly frustrating, and believe me, it can be, but in my opinion, it was done perfectly.
I’ve previously discussed how I feel about endings. I believe a good ending can redeem a not-so-good story and a bad ending can ruin a good story. This ending left me speechless. I went up to my dad afterward because I had told him a few things about the book already and said, “Now that, ladies and gentleman, is how you write an ending.”
I will hold to that forever.
Of course, no book is perfect. I do wish the accusations against Kya came quicker as for the first little bit, the two storylines felt too unrelated. I also wish the author had used more technical language and gotten into the nuances of naturalist science as this became a bigger piece of the story.
But still, overall, it’s now high on my list of favorites.
I naturally had to do a TikTok search on the title after finishing it and sadly found many bookish accounts saying it was overhyped, boring, and slow. This upset me, but I can see how this book is not for everyone. It’s slow–I’ll give you that. The tension builds throughout the novel and much of the beginning is spent on the character’s early life without much excitement other than her trying to survive on her own. It’s also incredibly emotional, which can definitely turn people away; there are plenty of triggering situations that were hard to read as well as watch.
Not everyone will enjoy this book, but no book can do that. I personally didn’t make it past a chapter in The Maze Runner, The Red Queen, or Three Dark Crowns because I couldn’t connect to the characters or get into the plot. Knowing that, I still encourage everyone to give Crawdads a try at least once and if you can’t get into it–you can’t get into it.
I had the privilege of seeing the new film adaptation of Crawdads in theatre with my mother and sister-in-law mere days after finishing it. Every time I watch an adaption for the first time, I pray, “Please, just don’t ruin it.” The adaptation Gods heard my prayers.
The movie was everything I wanted it to be.
Some things had to be cut for time’s sake and a few points were changed as any adaptation, but it was as true to the book as it could be. I was delighted when I recognized lines straight from the text. Several scenes were added that were in character despite being off-book. I was so excited to learn Reese Witherspoon was producing it because she’s a fellow book nerd! If Denis Villeneve’s Dune taught me anything, it’s to trust fans to make adaptations right.
The scenery was stunning and made me want to go back to North Carolina and never leave.
The cast was spot on. If you read my last post, you’ll know I like to mentally cast actors as my characters to help me write. Seeing Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kya made me realize how perfect she was for one of my characters I’d struggled to cast (Now I need to get my hands on a copy of Normal People so I can properly appreciate her in the adaptation).
All in all, I loved the film as much as the book. It brought it justice and made me feel as much as the book did. I wish every adaptation could be like it. I’ve already preordered it on Amazon Prime Video and can’t wait to watch it again.
Ok, I promise I’ll stop being a super fan now.
Before I finish, I feel I should address the controversy around the author, Delia Owens. I myself only learned about it after finishing the book and am at a loss for how to feel about it.
For those of you unaware, Delia Owens along with her husband Mark was working as conservationist in Zambia, Africa back in the late 90s. A poacher was accidentally shot and killed and there is a speculated link between the Owens-led organization.
I cannot condemn or condone her as I do not know the full situation or her as a person. I do not support the crime as I understand it and hope the truth is uncovered. Whether she was at fault or not, I applaud Owens's work as a writer and would like to give her the benefit of the doubt.
Where the Crawdads Sing was everything it was hyped up to be and is a story I will continue to return to for entertainment and inspiration.
Do you love Where the Crawdads Sing? Did you enjoy the movie? I'd love to hear from you! You can connect with me through thornfield.lane@gmail.com or on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter: @thornfield_lane.
