Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.
I began writing this review in anticipation of seeing the movie which is now out and which I saw last weekend. I read this book some time ago, back in 2020, and I just loved it! When I think back to reading this book, I recall a rainy weekend (long before the awful floods of 2022) and being curled up for hours on the couch, only to surface when there was the option of going to eat cake (that is what it would take to get me away from this book).
Where the Crawdads Sing is a somewhat unbelievable tale of a girl who experiences heartbreaking loss and abandonment, and who has to fend for herself in a cruel and isolating world. Despite these challenges the protagonist’s curiosity, quest for learning and connection with nature allows her grow and ultimately thrive in some pretty out-there circumstances and environment. There is a darker, slightly grungy shadow to the story which the author seems to attribute to the multiple facets of nature.
The story of her upbringing was what touched me the most, as well as the author’s capacity to capture the essence of feeling and nature. For instance, moments in the story the feeling of loneliness was so achingly represented, raw and hollow, penetrating one’s very core. The writing is so beautiful and haunting; it captures the natural world in such a poetic way, that as I read (and remember), I can smell the marsh, feel the sand, and hear the seagulls. Argh –heaven.
I would recommend this book primarily for the imagery and its capacity to transport the reader into another world. The storyline is interesting too, as it is filled with action, romance, mystery and a twist.