Where the crawdads sing        Delia Owens

This book offers you such a protagonist that you'll be sure to miss her and her surroundings as soon as you close it. This novel is a mix of a coming-of-age story- as you will see Kya, who is six at the beginning of the story, grow up; an ethnology study as it depicts in colorful details the inhabitants of the coast of North Carolina as well as their mindsets; and a naturalist study since as you turn the pages, you will find yourself deeply immerged in the marsh with its fauna and flora. Last but not least Delia Owens offers you not only a murder mystery but also a thought-provoking story: does a community see some people as different because they are or do people become different because they are seen so ?

The story of Kya begins at the age of six, when the reader witnesses everyone she loves leaving her. Stuck with a violent and absent dad, she will learn to live with the marsh and its inhabitants as her own family. While the community at first merely tolerates this "marsh girl", she will soon be suspected as Chase Andrew, the town's sweetheart is found dead. The story goes back and forth between the investigation and the growing up of Kya from the age of six to her twenties: at first unable to read, her mastery of the wildlife and the marsh will lead her on unexpected paths...

Did you know?

Where the Crawdads Sing has reached The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2019 and The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2020 for a combined 32 non-consecutive weeks. As of late January 2021, the book has spent 124 weeks on the best seller list.

Written by Virigine

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