Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (2018 fiction)
Written by a biologist and animal behaviorist, this novel chronicles the life of "Marsh Girl" Kya Clark, who grows up largely on her own in the coastal marshes of North Carolina. Abandoned by her mother and siblings at age five and by her father shortly thereafter, Kya avoids the truant officer and social services workers and manages to make a meager living in spite of scorn and bullying from the townsfolk. Her best friends are the seagulls she feeds daily. She forms relationships with but few of the locals, and one of them leads to a near disaster. When a murder occurs, the townsfolk are all too quick to blame the “Marsh Girl.” This is one of those books that is better read without too much advance information, but suffice to say that the descriptions of the marsh and its denizens are unparalleled, and Kya’s life is an extraordinary one. There are surprises throughout, and Kya is someone you will wish you had known. Recommended!
Reviewed by Ginger Russell
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