Where the Crawdads Sing (Mindscape Reviews)
Posted On April 14, 2020
Hi Readers! As promised, I am back with a book review for Delia Owens’ Where the Crawdads Sing. I finished this book a couple of weeks earlier but hadn’t gotten to write the review till now. This review CONTAINS SPOILERS! Ok, go ahead now!
~~INTRODUCTION~~
This is another pick from Reese’s Book Club & I am glad I liked this one. For me, the book picks from Reese’s Book Club are always flaky. Sometimes I love them but at other times I don’t find them too profound or worthy. It’s more of an on-off relationship. Anyway, this book is quite good! When I started it, I was quite intimidated because it has a Goodreads rating of 4.5 & not a single 1-star review. And, given my judgmental reading style, I wasn’t sure if I should read it. Because, what if I’m on the only one who thinks it is 1 star? I got over it soon enough!
There are two parallel story lines in the novel. The first story line, which starts in 1952, begins with the life story of a girl named Catherine Clark aka Kya who lives in a house in the marsh. She has a complicated family & no friends. Everybody keeps leaving her which is why she has serious trust & abandonment issues. In the other story line set in 1969, there has been a death of local man named Chase Andrews & this part revolves around solving his murder. The novel evolves from 1952 until it finally catches up with the second story line in 1969 & in all these years, we get to know Kya Clark, The Marsh Girl.
Now, let me be clear, this is a simple coming-of-age story of Kya. There is not enough crime or mystery in it to leave you at the edge of your seat. Not at all. It is a simple story. It is not something I’d usually like, but for unknown reasons, I liked it.
~~OVERALL THOUGHTS~~
To read this book, you need to leave your way of practical way of thinking behind. Apart from the mysterious death of Chase, there are many unusual things that happen in the book. I really liked how Tate & Kya became friends. Kya didn’t know how to read or write. Tate taught her that. They had a cute relationship. But, it was so unusual for a guy like Tate to go off to college & then cut Kya off completely. Then there was the chapter of Chase. It felt so unnatural that a popular & handsome guy like him would want to go out with the Marsh Girl & she would instantly say yes to that. Most of all, she had been on her own since she was a kid & was able to make a living for herself. There isn’t any mention of Childcare Services either, which is odd.
I could relate to Kya’s trust & abandonment issues. But, throughout the story, it is shown how deeply it impacted her when they all (her mother, Jodie, her father, Tate & Chase) left her. It is incredible how she made a living from such a young age by selling gritts to what we can call her only father-like friend Jumpin. It’s such an inspiration how she grew up & built so much character. And, when those people (Jodie & Tate) came back, she had enough reason not to talk to them, so she didn’t. But, in the end, she accepts them. A girl who couldn’t read or write becomes an author of 3 published books! The character arc is beautiful that way, which is something I enjoyed.
As for the 1969 story line of Chase’s murder, it wasn’t that gripping. It also consisted of little content than the first story line. The Court hearing was interesting to read. In it, it was quite evidently proven that Kya (who was arrested for Chase’s murder) was guilty. But, when, at the end, I understood she had actually killed him, it felt unreal. It was an almost impossible task (exactly how the opposition had stated it) and yet it turned out to be true. That was a bit disappointing.
~~CONCLUSION~~
After immediately completing the book, I was touched by it & had rated it at 4/5. But, now that I had time to process it, I’ll revise my rating to 3.5/5! It’s a good read, no doubt, but not as good as I had expected. By reading this book, I have completed the category of ‘A Book Everyone is Talking About’ from my 2020 Reading Challenge!
As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am currently reading A Little Life & thoroughly thoroughly enjoying it, with all its sentiments, emotions & feelings! I am also re-reading Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets, but my speed on reading it has slowed down as I am reading more of the aforementioned book! I don’t have any ideas for new posts yet, so it could be a while until I write another! Stay safe, everyone!
Until next time,
About The Author
Aishwarya Shenolikar
Hello! I'm Aishwarya, an Introverted bookworm & writer. I have been reviewing books since 6 years on my blog - Mindscape in Words. My favourite genres are Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers, Magical Realism, Poetry, Fantasy & Memoirs. I like the kind of books which evoke emotions on several levels leaving me wrecked, but also incredibly content. I'm dreaming for the world to paint a landscape full of words, more like Mindscape in Words. Hope you enjoy the view.