"I learned to live without them." - A review of Delia Owens' debut novel

Author: Delia Owens

Title: Where The Crawdads Sing

Originally Published: August 14, 2018

Publisher: Corsair

Paperback, €8.99

Pages: 368

ISBN: 978-1-4721-5466-8

9/10

From the mysterious opening to the dramatic ending, "Where The Crawdads Sing" will keep you wanting more.

Spoilers Ahead!!

You have been warned!!

First, I want to talk about the ending. From the moment Kya's alibi was introduced, I thought that the twist would be that Tate killed Chase Andrews. I cannot express how shocked I felt when it was revealed that Kya managed to pull off exactly what her lawyer had seemingly proven she couldn't have done. Through her experience living in the marsh alone for the best part of 16 years, Kya Clark learned how to stay hidden and studied the patterns of humans just as she did with the flora and fauna of North Carolina - albeit without recording her observations. With 2 books published Kya was the expert on all things related to her area, yet no-one suspected that they were being studied as well. By exploiting that, Kya pulled off the perfect crime. All the evidence was circumstancial. The prosecutions witness testimonies hearsay. Yet her alibi was airtight, any suspicious choices - such as her choice of motel in Greenville - perfectly fit her character, which led to Kya literally getting away with first degree murder.

Secondly, Delia Owens manages to merge murder mystery and romance in a way I have only seen Karen M. McManus do and then also adds in a coming-of-age tale to widen her appeal. All of these - mixed with her involvement in a 1996 murder case - combine to make a high risk scenario that paid off greatly. I have always loved mysteries and have been reading them for as long as I can remember. From Sherlock Holmes to The Famous Five, each take on the genre feels either unique or derivative of a classic. "Where The Crawdads Sing" was always going to be unique, but it may create copycats which will essentially keep it relevant indefinitely as people will use it for comparison. It's timelessness is even visible now as it is set in a time period 50 years prior to when it was published, but is still extremely popular and some of its society's issues - e.g. racism - are still prevalent in today's world.

Thirdly, I want to talk about this book's biggest flaw: the pacing. Some sections feel rushed whilst others feel drawn out. The pacing is inconsistent and, honestly, the only major flaw in my opinion. While being the only noticeable flaw (aside from the Hamlet-esque deaths in the ending), it's not enough to bring down the rating. The reason I gave this book a 9/10 isn't because the pacing kept it from a 10/10, it's because Owens crafted a beautiful tale but it just doesn't have anything special enough to make it a 10/10. Nothing I can think of does, unless it's a sequel that improves on an almost perfect film and doesn't feel like a needless cash-grab - e.g. 2008's "The Dark Knight".

Lastly, the characters and setting. No character feels like a stereotype. No character feels one-dimensional. It's not everyday that you come across a story where everyone has depth and feels real. Jake Clark is an abusive, alcoholic war veteran, but is a great father once he's sober. Chase Andrews is antagonistic, but cunning and feels a bit like SS Colonel Hans Landa from Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds". Dr. Tate Walker is loving, but afraid of hurting Kya. And finally, Catherine Danielle "Kya" Clark is closer to an antihero than your typical protagonist due to the way she killed Chase even if she felt like he did deserve it.

So to conclude, Delia Owens wrote an incredible book that has the potential to be a classic, but only time will tell.