Let's Bust a Recap : Where the Crawdads Sing

Okay, so when I teased about a month ago that The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie was tied for my favorite book of 2021 with some other mystery book: Where the Crawdads Sing is the other book I was talking about. Were you starting to wonder if I would ever tell you? 

When this book was published in 2018, it hit the shelves hot and everyone was talking about it. In just a little over a year, it sold more than four and a half million copies and it was still selling like hot cakes another year after that. When I had my little experimental year on the Instagram, I saw more posts about this book than I could shake a stick at.

But should I read it? Despite the many glowing reviews which were legion, a few of my friends with really great taste said they could take it or leave it and I was pretty undecided on whether I really cared enough to pick it up. This book went on and and then back off my amazon wishlist. In my mind, I had pretty much dismissed it when I happened across it at—you guessed it—The Book Shelter where I promptly decided it was meant to be and brought it home with me. Because can you ever beat a bestselling book less than a year old in hardcover for just $3.99? I submit you cannot.

And boy am I glad I didn't miss it because I fell squarely and solidly in the LOVED IT camp. 

Where the Crawdad Sings opens in the North Carolina marsh in 1969 where two young boys have stumbled upon the body of Chase Andrews, the town's star quarterback and known playboy. We then immediately flash back to 1952 where a young girl named Kya is learning to fend for herself as one by one her family abandons her. As the author weaves these timelines together—the one in which Chase's mysterious death is being investigated, and the other in which Kya is growing up alone in the marsh—she crafts a hauntingly beautiful coming-of-age story and a surprising tale of possible murder all wrapped up in an exquisite ode to the natural world. 

And I truly, truly loved it. I loved Delia Owens' gorgeous writing. I loved the murder mystery dynamic. I loved Kya and Jumpin' and Mabel. I loved the poetry of it. (And by the way, I almost spoiled the book for myself by Googling if Amanda Hamilton was a real poet because I wanted to buy a book of her poetry. Word to the wise: she's not and don't try to Google stuff about a book before you are finished reading said book!) While content-wise this is not a light read, it was heartbreakingly beautiful and I got completely swept up in Where the Crawdads Sing in the best possible way. 

I will add a trigger warning for attempted rape. In the past few years as I've waded more and more into contemporary fiction, I've really come to appreciate trigger warnings because there are certain issues and topics that are automatic dealbreakers for me when considering whether or not to add a book to my never-ending list of must-reads. So if this is something that would ruin your reading experience, then steer clear. 

And in a more general sense, I'll also add that there is some coarse language and a few sexual scenarios that may be off-putting if you try to avoid that when choosing your next book. 

But for me personally, this book was a total homerun and if Delia Owens writes any more fiction, I'll be checking it out for sure. 

Did you read Where the Crawdads Sing? Do you generally check out the latest bestsellers or wait to see if they stand the test of time? What's been your favorite book of 2021 so far?