I’m shocked to report that I love it! I was drawn right in with the author’s descriptive portrayal of the marsh, her character development, and figurative language! There were lulls in the pacing of the story, but I still devoured it in record time and can’t wait to see the movie while it’s still in theaters.
Delia Owens says she chose coastal North Carolina for the book’s setting for two reasons. One, because its temperate climate and resources would make it plausible for an abandoned, young girl to survive. Two, the contrast between the marsh and the swamp serves as a metaphor about life’s struggles. She explains, “I feel like in life most people now and then end up in a swamp. Where The Crawdads Sing is about how to move from those dark places back into the light.”
There’s also a bit of intrigue swirling around the 73 year old author, a naturalist wanted for questioning in the murder of poachers in Africa. I think her scientific and environmental knowledge really added to the authenticity of her first novel. By the way, what the fuck even is a crawdad? And how about this description of praying mantis mating?
"She appeared interested, her antennae flailing about like wands. His embrace might have been tight or tender, Kya couldn’t tell, but while he probed about with his copulatory organ to fertilize her eggs, the female turned back her long, elegant neck and bit off his head. He was so busy humping, he didn’t notice. His neck stump waved about as he continued his business, and she nibbled on his thorax, and then his wings. Finally, his last foreleg protruded from her mouth as his headless, heartless lower body copulated in perfect rhyme."
