Where The Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens

G.P. Putnam's Sons | Hardcover | August 14, 2018

In her debut novel, Delia Owens delivers a gripping mystery that opens with the death of small-town golden boy and womanizer Chase Andrews. Immediately, the entire town suspects Kya Clark. But in order to unravel the present’s mystery, Owens’ turns back the clock, taking readers back to Kya’s youth where one-by-one she is abandoned by her family.

​Kya’s only true companion growing up in the marsh, and after she is teased at school she cuts herself off from the world. Despite her efforts to protect her heart, Kya attracts the attention of Tate Walker, who shares Kya’s deep love for the marsh and its inhabitants. The two become friends and, in time, lovers. But when Tate leaves for college Kya is faced with isolation once more, which is why when charming and handsome Chase Andrews takes an interest in her, she doesn’t refuse his advances.

Meanwhile, in the present, police continue to look for clues, and as they dig deeper into Chase’s affairs and the rumors ripping through town, Kya becomes a prime suspect. Tension steadily builds as the past and present collide, and all the while Owens fleshes out a character so complex and vulnerable readers cannot help but root for her. But while Kya may be shy and compassionate, Owens never lets readers forget that she may just be wild enough to commit murder.

With piercing images and raw emotion Owens challenges readers to judge for themselves whether or not Kya is capable of murder. She calls on us to ask what we would do if we had grown up in Kya’s position. Struggling to survive, learning how to love from the fireflies and the birds, deep in the marsh where the crawdads sing, would we have done anything differently?