Book 21 - Also Birds

Title: Where the Crawdads Sing

Author: Delia Owens

Genre: swampy southern fiction

OH MY FREAKING GOD THIS BOOK.

THIS.

DAMN.

BOOK!

Okay. Phew. This is a story about...my god, about so many things. Love. Abandonment. Loneliness and isolation. The definition of family. Abuse. Racism. Classism. Nature and wildness; connections.

There's just so much.

I would like to say this: the book has racism issues. I don't want to say too much without stepping out of my lane or making excuses, so here are the facts: the author is a white woman in her 70s. This story takes place in the south in the late 50s-60s, and is primarily about a white girl and her white love interest(s). The black characters are not much developed outside familiar tropes. So...yeah. Just know - that shit is in the book. It shouldn't be ignored, and it shouldn't be assumed as a representation of what's real. This is fiction, people!

Besides the black folks in the book getting the short end of the stick when it comes to character development, Owens' writing is absolutely enveloping. Her technical knowledge of marsh and swamp flora and fauna is apparent, and somehow she manages to create wonderful prose out of all that information. I feel like I'm still stuck in that damn marsh along with Kya, the protag.

This is a book you can settle into; this is the ultimate summer read, with love and betrayal and vengeance - and lots of being alone in the wilderness. Let's elaborate on my previous statement: this is the perfect summer 2020, covid-19 isolation read.

There's are also lots of birds.

Rating: 🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

NOW once you have read the book and either love it or hate it, go read this article.

Just do it.

It will 100% change the book for you.