WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING by Delia Owens
DELIA OWENS. Mark that name down as she is, or is going to become, one of your favorite authors. At the start of the year I was trumpeting Lisa Wingate’s BEFORE WE WERE YOURS. And now, here at the end of the year, I am urging you to read Owens’ WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING. Just as BEFORE WE WERE YOURS challenged my emotions, spirit and intellect WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING does the same. It is already a national best seller so I am late to the party, but I imagine there are others like me who saw the title and just weren’t drawn to it. Big mistake as this book is one of the best you will ever read.
Owens’ novel, and it is her first one, focuses on Kya. She is called “the marsh girl” because she and her family live in the marshlands of North Carolina. She lives there with her father, mother and four siblings. However by the time Kya is seven her mother and siblings have all left. She is alone with her father who is an abusive alcoholic.
As horrendous as this situation is the book is not some horror story about abuse but rather is a testament to the human spirit and the art of survival. People think Kya is ignorant but she just hasn’t had the opportunity to learn. Her mind is brilliant and her instincts are sharp as can be. Kya is a survivor who refuses to be defeated by life even when the world is telling her she should be.
Once again we have a popular novel that yo-yo’s between two different time frames. One part of the story is set in 1962 when Kya is seven and the other takes place in 1969 when a murder occurs. The one and only criticism I have of Owens writing is the wish that she had told a linear story. Going back and forth between these two time periods slows down the action in each part.
But that is just a mere quibble about what is a magical story that causes the reader to utilize every emotion in his/her repertoire. The story of Kya and the people who are important in her life is a journey of amazing dimension. Owens combines the glory of nature with the exaltation of courage and slams it against the cruelty humans can and do possess.
Much too rarely an author of amazing talent appears on the literary scene and astonishes readers with the scope of his/her talent. WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING is not some awkward first effort by a writer who shows potential. It is a story fully realized and presented. It is virtually flawless in its characters and the direction the plot takes.
Get this book and read the first chapter. You will not be able to put it down. I feel completely competent to make that statement as I have seen the glory of this story and know the profound effect it had on me. I wish for you that same experience.
WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING is published by G P Putnam’s Sons. It contains 384 pages and sells for $26.00.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
