Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens came out a while ago with a lot of hype. People seem to either love it or are underwhelmed by it. As usual I’m late to the party and never found time to read it when it was first popular. This summer the movie was released so I decided to read the book before treating myself to the cinema. 

I’m shocked to report that I love this story! I was immediately drawn in by the author’s poetic descriptive  of the marsh setting, her character development, and figurative language. There were lulls in the pacing of the plot, 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 the praying mantis mating ritual?

"She appeared interested, her antennae flailing about like wands. His embrace might have been tight or tender … 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."

Tiny Beautiful Things

There’s a lot of wisdom in Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed, the book based on her advice column Dear Sugar on TheRumpus.net. I highlighted a bunch of passages that felt like therapy to me, reminding me of the hard work I’ve done and must continue to do, coming to terms with being myself in a crazy but glorious world.

Many of the letters seeking counsel are poignant and some are humorous. Strayed’s responses are always captivating, thoughtful, and well-written.Her wisdom is sensible, as well as inspiring. Being a person is hard. Navigating our innermost emotions and desires is exhausting but necessary. Having a voice of reason, like Sugar, to listen actively and make sense of the background noise of our own thoughts is comforting!

Wild

 

It should not have taken me so long to finish reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed, but because I’m still working, it did! My tenth year as a grade five classroom teacher turned out to be the most difficult, never-ending, and exasperating year yet, but it has also provided moments of clarity, and opportunities for personal growth and reflection. 

Teaching writing is an important endeavor, and my own personal writing has always been a worthwhile outlet for me. In May, I was invited to attend this writer’s conference at Kripalu, the yoga retreat in western Massachusetts, by an old colleague. I almost declined because it was so close to my extended April vacation trip to Turkey. Thank goodness I went and didn’t miss out on this opportunity. Not only is Kripalu a beautiful place to visit and unwind, but the author Cheryl Strayed is so inspiring. Her workshop perfectly complemented a few days of clean eating, meditative activities, and communing in nature with like-minded individuals.

In Five Years

I survived the dreaded August 1…. Barely. This promises to be an angst-y review as I reflect on how I tormented myself about things I should be doing, pushed through the muck in my head and did what I wanted instead. I finished this quick beach read, not at the beach but in the comfort of my bed after attempting to beach on an unsettled day with Lisa and Jane. This is how it should be in the summer for me. Keep busy, enjoy simple pleasures, don’t be so hard on myself. What’s the point after all. It’s my life and it it should be what I want it to be. 

I learned something from In Five Years by Rebecca Serle. Something about letting life unfold and taking pleasure in unexpected moments. This quote expresses the theme of the story about a character whose world is shook up despite her focus on carefully planning all the major events of her life.

“But all of that is an hour from now. Now, on the other side of midnight, we do not yet know what is coming.

“So be it. So let it be.”

Mantra….