Where The Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens | Review
- Between Spines
- Feb 8, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 5, 2021
'Dreams of escape - even through death - always life toward the light. The dangling, shiny prize of peace just out of grasp until finally her body descends to the bottom and settles in murky quiet. Safe. Who decides the time to die?'
Delia Owens' debut novel has become one of the most widely discussed novels of our time, attracting avid readers from different genres. In Owens' beautiful tale, the coming-of-age story of the abandoned Kya blends fabulously with a murder mystery plot, interwoven with palpable suspense. Kya is a young girl who lives in a dilapidated shack on the marshes. In an almost surreal manner, Kya is at one with nature and discovers the basics of wilderness life, such as operating a boat, fishing, and most importantly, fending for herself on a daily basis. It is within this naturalist setting where Owens spreads her storytelling wings and takes us on a stunning journey of lust and retribution.
Where the novel purely comes to life is during Kya's years of growing maturity. When she is fourteen, she is taught how to read and write by love-interest Tate, who is four years older than her and has his own sad past. For Tate, his experiences with trauma inform his perspective on life, which has a profound impact upon Kya. Sexuality is addressed by Owens in an intriguing way during Tate's courting of Kya because most of the young woman's knowledge of sex is informed by her naturalist interest in insects in particular. Immersed in nature, she seeks comfort with the gulls on the beach, or by studying the sex-life of fireflies. Therefore, how nature interacts is central to Kya's perspective on human relationships, with the evocation of her surroundings a subtle yet superb feature of Owens' prose.
Kya quickly learns of the cruelty life can bring. She learns lessons on loyalty and trust as Tate fades away during his time at college and another man seeks to replace him in Kya's isolated existence. Chase, who we discover in the novel's first chapter is murdered later in the story, ventures into the marshes possessed by a sexual curiosity towards Kya. Their relationship becomes more sexually developed than Kya and Tate's and as our protagonist grows older, Chase's reluctance to install her within the traditional rural society in which he lives becomes a source of increased agitation, stinging Kya for the second time in her young life. The absorbing and atmospheric depiction of Kya's formative years is swiftly replaced with an ominous, impending reckoning for our young heroin as she becomes the prime suspect in Chase’s murder.
As we venture into discussion surrounding the courtroom scenes, we find it interesting to note the scholarly debate regarding the impact of the murder trial upon the novel. Rachel Ronsenblit argues, 'if the courtroom scenes aren't as evocative and immersive as what came before, at least they're compulsively readable, split into quick-cut interactions and capped by swelling closing arguments that scream out for life as a screenplay.' Indeed, Owens demonstrates a proficiency for writing crime fiction rather well, taking to the Grisham-esque style as seamlessly as she did in crafting Kya's life of the wilderness. Mark Lawson maintains that 'Owens has studied the big beasts of crime fiction sufficiently to leave room for doubt and surprises.' The court scenes are heart-pounding in their pervading anxiety as we find ourselves desperate to solve the novel's whodunnit. This is fascinating when considering that during the early chapters of the novel, we were blissfully unaware of what defamatory accusations were to come for Kya. This clever blend of tones is one of Owens’ greatest strengths.
Finally, we are left to wonder how Owens' novel will be adapted as a screenplay. Reese Witherspoon has purchased the rights to produce a film adaptation of the novel, casting 'Normal People' star Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kya. In a novel that sublimely depicts the isolated marshes of North Carolina, we can't escape the notion that Kya's world is so at odds with modern society. In a society of social media connectivity and digital streaming platforms like Amazon and Netflix vying for the attention of a generation, Owens' novel symbolises a breaking free from technological overload. Therefore, how the novel is adapted for the wider market arouses profound interest. As Rosenblit argues, 'the most stunningly evocative aspects of this book, the solo dances between Kya and nature, will be the weakest link the film has to offer: How do you capture soulfulness, convey stillness, without boring a modern audience to tears?'
Regardless of how well Witherspoon and co. reimagine the atmosphere of Owens' novel, it is clear that this story is a contemporary classic of graceful and compelling storytelling. Upon finishing the story, we feel that we have been released from complete immersion in a story that feels timeless, taking shape in a place so far away from our modern world. For capturing this so beautifully, Owens undoubtedly deserves the seismic praise which continues to be heaped upon her for her 2018 debut.
Useful Links
Comments