Review: Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Don’t you just love it when a book lives up to the hype? Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens has well and truly captured my heart. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful story, and one that will stay with me for a very long time.

The novel follows Kya Clark, ‘The Marsh Girl’, who, abandoned by her family, lives alone out on the North Carolina marshland. A source of both intrigue and contempt for the local community, her wild beauty captures the attention of two young men. Both will change her life, in very different ways.

The stunning setting is what makes this book so special. Vivid descriptions combine with Kya’s extensive knowledge of the marsh flora and fauna to create a world that I loved escaping into, a place so wild and different than anywhere I’ve ever read about before. This world provides the backdrop for page turning, heart wrenching drama. Truly, I couldn’t put this book down.

The narrative flips between Kya’s past and present, which works brilliantly. I love the way that the author gives us time to get to know Kya (we first meet her at six years old), her turbulent back story and how she came to be the resilient, intelligent woman that she is. I came to really, really care about her, to will her to make the right decisions, to trust the right people, and, ultimately, to be happy.

To anyone who’s ever experienced loneliness or isolation, as I think we all have to some degree this past year, or anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, this book will speak to you. It certainly did to me.

Simultaneously a coming of age story, a murder mystery and a love letter to nature, Where The Crawdads Sing is a captivating, immersive read. A new all time favourite.