Book Bloomer

I came away from Where the Crawdads Sing(paid link) a little unsure with how I felt about it (an unpopular opinion, I know). It took me longer than normal to truly get into it, but towards the end I was thoroughly enjoying it.

It’s about a young girl, Kya, who is known as the “marsh girl.” She is only ten years old when her whole family abandons her to fend for herself in the marsh in North Carolina in the 1960s. Uneducated, dirty, and wild, the townspeople neglect her, make up rumors, and completely isolate her. Tate, a boy who used to be friends with her brother is the only one who helps. He teaches her to read and falls in love with her in the process. Eventually, he goes to college and never comes back, leaving Kya alone and budding a new romance with town ‘hero,’ Chase Andrews.

Things end and Chase is later murdered, and Kya is charged for the crime. Through the trial, and other events that follow, you find out the shocking truth about the “marsh girl.”

I loved the form of the novel, having two stories go on at once; the past and the present. It kept the suspense going. In addition, I loved the surprise and conclusion at the end that wrapped the novel up in a very satisfying way. This is definitely a one-of-a-kind plot!