At the beginning of last summer, I saw there was a new book-to-movie adaptation coming out in July: “Where the Crawdads Sing.” I had heard of the book many times since it was pretty popular, but I had never read it before. After talking with one of my friends, we decided to read the book together and then go see the movie once it came out.
Getting a copy of the book was the most difficult part of this operation. I didn’t want to buy the book in case it was horrible, but all 31 copies in my library district were checked out and had massive reserve lines. In the end, my friend and I ended up signing up for a Pueblo library card (I must mention we live 200 miles from Pueblo) and getting the e-book.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that I read the book in 5 hours. I didn’t put my iPad down once after picking it up until I finished the book. From there on, it became one of my favorite books of all time. I went to Target the next week and bought the book and read it again. I could not stop talking about this book all summer.
In this rant, I’ll talk about why I love the book, why I hate the movie, and my opinions on this murder scandal the author, Delia Owens, has gotten herself in.
P.S. This article has pretty major spoilers.
I Love the Book
When I first started reading this book, I thought that it was going to be more upbeat than it started, but that was not the case. The book centers around Kaya Clark, nicknamed the “March Girl” after she is left by her entire family to live on her own from a young age in the marshes of North Carolina. We read as she grows up into a young woman, finds love, gets it ripped away from her, and goes through many trials and tribulations.
What I love about this book is that no matter what, I always find myself rooting for Kaya. I love books that have a strong female heroine. Kaya is resourceful, kind, and optimistic even when things look bleak. She’s been able to find a passion for collecting feathers and shells, and she’s taught herself everything she knows. Other than her murdering someone and then covering up, I admire her a lot as a character. And while of course murder isn’t the way to go, I understand why she felt stuck and did what she needed to do.
Along with that, I like the isolated but idyllic setting in the book, in the marshes of North Carolina. From the trees to the house to the waterways, it’s all described so well that I could imagine it vividly. It’s simply a beautiful book, even if it’s in the imagination.
Lastly, I’ve read the book a few times now and every time I come back to it, it feels new. I empathize with Kaya and her childhood, long for her love with Tate, despise Chase, and always feel a hint of surprise when I find out that Kaya killed Chase after all this time. I have to admit it was pretty easy to guess the “twist ending” from the beginning, but you’re happily expecting it.
I Hate the Movie
Considering how much I love the book, “Where the Crawdads Sing,” I came into the movie with very high expectations. I was in Seattle at the time when it came out, with the friend who had read it with me luckily enough. We went to a movie theater in downtown Seattle two days before opening night to watch a prescreening (we were that invested). I hadn’t even watched the trailer, so I was going into it blind. The only thing I knew was that Taylor Swift was releasing a song that was in the movie.
Unfortunately, Taylor Swift’s song was the best part of the movie.
Having high expectations for a book-to-movie adaptation was my fault since that never ends up well. The messed up storyline, bad acting, inaccurate details, and poor production, however, were not my fault.
As someone who has read the book and knew every little detail, I knew that every little thing wouldn’t be captured in the movie. The problem was that they were moving major events, like Kaya getting arrested or Chase getting engaged, to completely different parts of the plotline. It was confusing. The acting from Harris Dickinson, or Chase Andrews, was not up to par. It reminded me of Harry Styles in “Don’t Worry Darling,” where you know that they’re trying but it’s laughable to the audience. And don’t even get me started on the scene where there was a visible green screen that was used for the background of the marsh. I should not be able to notice these things in movies produced in 2022.
I know that most people liked the movie, but I am not most people. I am a diehard “Where the Crawdads Sing” book fan, and expected so much more. I guess I’ll continue to be a book-only fan.
The Murder
Once the movie came out and there was a lot of buzz around it, another thing came out: Delia Owens was wanted for questioning for a murder of a suspected poacher in 1995. Owens and her husband had moved to Zambia in the 80s after living in other parts of Africa studying wildlife. The death happened during an anti-poaching patrol that Owens and her husband were in charge of. Though no charges have been brought against them and Owens has denied all allegations, there is the question of what really happened.
What do I think? Well, it definitely can go both ways. As a creative writer myself (when I have time), I know that every story usually comes from an inspiration or external event. Either Owens did kill someone and that was her inspiration for “Where the Crawdads Sing,” or the opposite happened and she wrote about the “what if.”
If she was convicted at some point, I truly wouldn’t be that surprised. “Where the Crawdads Sing” is about covering a murder and the fact that Owens and her husband moved out of Africa less than a year after the killing is a little suspicious. Owens had also never written a fiction book before, “Where the Crawdads Sing” was her first.
Hey, innocent until proven guilty though… right? For my sake, I hope she didn’t commit the crime, however, since I don’t want to have one of my favorite books ruined by author controversy.
Final
Everyone should give “Where the Crawdads Sing” a read. If you’ve only watched the movie and actually liked it, then the book will be even better since it provides so much more detail and beauty in the story. I hope that everyone is able to find a book they enjoy as much as I do this one.
On the upside, the hype about both the book and movie has died down considerably since summer, so it should be easy to check out a copy at your local library.