Where the Crawdads Sing
Where the Crawdads Sing, debut novel by author Delia Owens, first published in 2018 and later adapted into a feature film starring Daisy Edgar-Jones in 2022. The book quickly became a best-seller, selling over 1.1 million copies in its first year and surpassing 12 million copies sold by 2022. The book’s murder-mystery plotline weaves together themes of nature, romance, and trauma, set in a quiet fictional town along the North Carolina coastline.
Plot summary
Where the Crawdads Sing is set in 1952 in the remote fictional coastal town of Barkley Cove. It tells the story of Catherine Danielle Clark, referred to as Kya, the youngest of five siblings, who lives in a North Carolina marshland town with her abusive father who misuses alcohol after being abandoned by her mother. Nicknamed the “Marsh Girl” and isolated by many in town, Clark grows up to be a fiercely independent young woman who is fascinated by the nature around her, collecting artifacts from the marsh such as shells and feathers and illustrating them all in her notebook. The first part of the book describes Kya’s younger years as she explores the marshlands around her and begins to see her siblings leave their home one by one because of the abuse of their father. Eventually, her father also leaves, forcing Kya to fend for herself. As she grows older, she begins a romantic relationship with Tate, an old friend of her elder brother, who comes around to teach Kya how to read and write. Tate eventually leaves for college but promises to return, leaving Kya alone again.
The second part of the book, titled “The Swamp,” fast forwards to 1965 when Kya is 19 years old. In this part of the novel, Kya becomes romantically involved with a boy named Chase, the high-school quarterback, who attempts to sexually assault her on a date. In spite of this, the two begin a relationship. During a weekend trip away together, Kya gifts Chase a necklace with a seashell on it. Soon after, Kya learns that Chase is engaged to another woman and has been lying to Kya during their time together.
As the novel progresses, Tate returns from college and professes his love to Kya, but she rejects him as she is still deeply hurt from her past. Kya focuses on her passion for nature illustrations and channels her pain into her work. She and Tate begin to collaborate to publish a series of reference books on the marshlands, which brings her financial success. With the money she earns from her publications, she is able to restore her childhood home, a dilapidated shack in the swamp. Three years later Kya unexpectedly encounters Chase, the man who once hurt her. He attempts to assault her, but she manages to escape.
Afterward, upon returning from an out-of-town meeting with a publisher, Kya is informed that Chase’s body has been found at the bottom of a fire tower. Strangely, the necklace Kya had once given to Chase, and which he wore every day, is missing. Kya becomes the prime suspect in his death and is arrested on suspicion of murder. She spends two months in jail, but her trial offers hope. Defended pro bono by a skilled lawyer, Kya’s strong alibi, the absence of evidence, and the town’s bias against her as the so-called “Marsh Girl” lead the jury to declare her innocent.
Once Kya is freed from jail, she and Tate confess their love for each other and live their lives together in Kya’s shack by the marsh. Kya dies peacefully at the age of 64. Shortly after her death, while rummaging through her belongings, Tate discovers old poems written by Kya and the seashell necklace that she had given to Chase. Though he can never be certain, Tate begins to suspect that Kya might have been the one to kill him. In an effort to preserve her possible secret, Tate burns the poems and returns the seashell to the shore, letting the past remain a mystery.
Reception
Where the Crawdads Sing was chosen as the September 2018 pick for Reese Witherspoon’s well-known book club. As its popularity surged, it was announced that a feature-length film would be produced by Witherspoon. The movie, Where the Crawdads Sing (2022), further increased the novel’s visibility to the public. Putnam, the book’s publishing company, had to reprint the novel nearly 40 times to meet the overwhelming demand. Additionally, the book garnered global attention, with foreign rights sold in more than 40 countries.
About the author
Delia Owens (born April 4, 1949) grew up in rural Georgia, where she was encouraged to explore the nearby woods. An avid lover of wildlife, she studied zoology at the University of Georgia and received a doctorate in animal behavior from the University of California, Davis. Her first publication, a nonfiction work entitled Cry of the Kalahari (1984), cowritten with her then-husband Mark, described the couple’s experiences living in the Kalahari Desert. This first book won the John Burroughs Medal for best natural history book.