A review by kindredspirit7
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book is amazing. However, the author is problematic. There is a lot of controversy around her regarding racism and potential murder. I recommend getting this book second hand and also being mindful and doing some research on Delia Owens before reading or buying. However the book itself is beautifully written, the characters are developed and complex. The writing is honestly just wonderful and the story is dark and real and engaging though jt is slow for the first hundred or so pages. Spoiler ahead!

she is accused of murder just like Kya and it’s suspicious that Kya admits to murder via a poem and hides it away, gets away with it and perhaps this book was Delia’s own confession?

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

The author has been problematic with racism. Calling Africa the dark continent and other questionable quotes. The N-word is used twice in this book. The general characterization of Black people is questionable and readers should keep this in mind when reading.