Book Review: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Pages of poetry: Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is like a long summer that you never want to end

This post contains affiliate links

Like a book, all good things must come to an end, and there is no better way to end my Summer Reading List than by reviewing Where The Crawdads Sing, the mesmerizing debut novel by Delia Owens. Not only is it the best book on my list, but it's the best book I've read in years. Like the summer, I never wanted it to end.

Where The Crawdads Sing is a story that will surprise you. Abandoned as a young child, Kya adapted to survive in the marsh she loved with little resources and few friends. Named the Marsh Girl by the town folk, she lived a solitary life far from judging eyes. When a handsome and prominent man in the town is killed, Kya is an immediate suspect. Kya's devastating life of loneliness intertwines with the murder mystery in a way that can only be described as poetic.

The story is like poetry, each page a song, each paragraph a verse. I can't praise this book enough. This is the type of book that will find its way into school curriculums; it's a modern-day classic coming-of-age story that educated about science, the wilderness, discrimination, and the impact of childhood trauma. It's a slow burn that becomes a raging fire by the time you turn the last page. And I mean right until the very last page. This book is good until the last drop. I don't want to give away too much of the story, but you really don't know the truth until you turn the last page.

The author's education in Zoology shines through Kya's love of nature and her appreciation for the marsh. The story is a celebration of the beautiful and consuming spirit of the natural world. Kya is as instinctive and unforgiving as the wildlife she worships. As a poor, barefoot child, she builds her nest, stick by stick, nurturing herself from a small chick into a soaring bird. The community treats her like one of the creatures she paints, their discrimination rooted in ignorance of the unknown, and assumptions based on class and appearance. Kya's adult life is inspiring when she is finally able to overcome the odds and finally blossom into the person she was meant to be.

But that life is threatened when she becomes a murder suspect who is all too likely to be trialed in the court of public opinion. Some wonder if there was a murder at all, while others. The marsh casts a fog of mystery over the town and Kya's tiny cabin. This book deserves 10 stars. Thank you for checking out my Summer Reading List!