Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

I had watched Where the Crawdads Sing stay steady on the New York Times bestseller list and I had heard the chorus of compliments from my friends and colleagues. So when my book club chose to read this debut novel by Delia Owens, my expectations were high. Owens did not disappoint. I read Where the Crawdads Sing in one weekend and felt transported to the lush marshes of the North Carolina coast.

The novel touches on many engaging themes, but fundamentally, the story is about a young girl’s resilience in the face of abandonment and loneliness. When Catherine Danielle Clark “Kya” is six years old, her Ma walks down the “sandy lane in high heels, her only going out pair.” Ma never returns to the family’s shack hidden in the marsh. One by one Kya’s siblings leave. They too want to escape dire poverty and their violent alcoholic father. Finally, when Kya is ten, her father goes fishing and does not return. Realizing that she is alone, she experiences shock and depression. Yet she perseveres. (Yes, this strains credulity. Didn’t Kya’s mom or siblings think to take her with them? And could Kya really live by herself? But keep going!)

Kya is smart and resourceful. She avoids the authorities and survives by cooking grits, catching fish and paying close attention to the rhythms of the marsh. A kind African-American man named Jumpin’ and his wife Mabel help Kya whenever she docks her boat at their bait and gas shop. From their own encounters with discrimination, they know the Barkley Cove locals either ignore or ostracize those who are different. The residents call Kya “swamp trash”.

The marsh serves as both the setting and a character in the novel. Kya watches eagles soar, herons fish, butterflies glide and fish spawn. She comes to view the seagulls as her friends and the marsh as a surrogate mother. She studies the tides, the stars and the animal and plant life that surround her. “Nature seemed the only stone that would not slip midstream.”

In her late teens, Kya comes to love Tate Walker, a gentle young man who was friends with her brother Jodie. With tenderness, he teaches Kya to read and listens to her feelings. “For the first time since Ma and Jodie left, she breathed without pain.” Yet Tate leaves for college and once again Kya is left alone. Seeking solace, she spends time with a vulnerable, yet unreliable young man named Chase Andrews. Kya wonders, “How much do you trade to defeat loneliness?”When Chase is found dead, the townspeople suspect Kya. A major strand of the novel follows the investigation into Chase’s death.

Owens’ novel captivates because she shows the evolution of Kya’s inner life. We see Kya’s intellect grow and her emotions expand. She finds solace in poetry, art and books. As I turned the pages, I found myself rooting for Kya and hoping that she might experience some peace and even a little happiness.

With lyricism and reverence, Owens’love of the natural world enriches every page. She creates a spiritual atmosphere with her rich descriptions of the moon, tides, sky, lagoons, sand and mosses of the marsh. Kya’s development is shaped by the trauma of her youth and softened by the rhythms of the marsh. Despite her loneliness and isolation, Kya perseveres. Owen’ insight and sensitivity allow us to witness the subtle and not so subtle adaptations to Kya’s personality and emotional life.

Where The Crawdads Singtouched my heart despite my mind’s doubts. Maybe the novel has resonated with millions of readers (including me) because it illuminates that we are all shaped by the children we once were.