Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Habitat for Calamity: The Heart is a Lonely Punter

Where the Crawdads Sing needs no introduction.  Everyone has been talking about this debut novel by enigmatic naturalist Delia Owens; even the cover proclaims it to be "the worldwide sensation."  So why, then, did I resist reading it, relenting only when my mother leant me her copy?  I'd see it in Target on my lunch break, sometimes even going so far as to turn it over, reading and rereading the back cover.  The reader in me didn't want to miss out, but the cynic in me dismissed it as a cross between Dateline and Swamp People.

So, when I opened it last week, my expectations were low.  But as soon as I met Kya Clark, the chip on my shoulder evaporated.  After years of abuse at the hands of Kya's father, Kya's mother leaves their North Carolina swamp shack and never comes back.  Unable to bear Pa's drunken violence, Kya's four brothers and sisters escape one by one, leaving her alone with Pa at the age of six.  But even Pa is away more often than not, leaving Kya to fend for herself.  Which, it turns out, she's astonishingly good at.  By watching the gulls, she learns to dig for mussels, then boats to the gas station to sell them so she can buy grits.  She has one pair of overalls and no shoes, but when she steps on an old nail, tetanus eludes her.  She avoids school until she's seven, when the authorities force her to go.  On her first day, she sits in the cafeteria with her chicken pot pie, the most delicious and nourishing food she's ever eaten.  By anyone's standards, she should finally feel safe.  But the other kids are unbearably cruel, laughing at her because she can't spell "dog" and calling her "Marsh Girl."  So she stuffs the food into her milk carton and returns to the only sanctuary she's ever known, the birds and the trees and the water.  The truant officer hunts her for weeks, but she always outsmarts him.  She never sets foot in school again.  Now, I grew up with two doting parents and am about as outdoorsy as an armchair.  Kya and I should have nothing in common.  Yet when I read this, I felt a near visceral pull, everything in me humming, I get it.  Because I too was a loner who didn't fit in and would've preferred home to school.

Kya's pa finally leaves when she's ten.  As the years pass, Kya becomes more entrenched in the marsh, collecting seashells and other specimens and cataloging each with an exquisite painting.  Jumpin', the Black owner of the gas station, and his wife Mabel give her clothes and food when they can.  When Kya's fourteen, a local boy teaches her how to read, and her capacity for creativity grows.  But for the most part, she remains on her own with nature.  Stirring and strange, Kya's is a story of the world's natural wonders -- but of its horrors, too. 

If you've read it or seen the movie, then you know that there's a murder.  And that, despite her extreme isolation, Kya becomes involved with two men.  The way Owens weaves these with Kya's kinship with nature took my breath away.  

And . . . that's where I'll stop.  So that if you want to read Where the Crawdads Sing, then you can be breathless too.  

9 comments:

ellie said...

Oh, it's interesting that you reviewed it and it was something your mother wanted you to read. I have a friend who wants to send me the book too. It does have that Beasts of the Southern Wilds feel..slightly but maybe in a more Nicholas Sparks kind of way. However, it's one of those books you're going to fall in love with or rip it apart chapter by chapter. I guess she's written a lot of nonfiction books. I'm glad you reviewed the book.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Thanks for your comments. Well, my mom was the pimple popper. Which leads to another debate. Should you or shouldn't you? I have so many friends who react to pimple popping as the worst thing in the world.

Caitlin'nMegan said...

Oh, I'm sure I couldn't get through it. So much nature to read about. I do wonder what her next novel will be about. But after this book, she might not have to. But I loved your review. I'm glad you got to read it.>>>>>>> Oh, and thanks for reading about what Tristan is up to. Of course, it took me a while to decide if the girls should move in or not. Now, I feel..yes, I need my own space so I can just have my own stuff to worry about. It has rained a little here and gradually it's cooling down. It just seems odd how short the days are already happening.I hope you are having a good week.

camdandusler said...

Thanks for your review:)

Ivy's Closet said...

Such a fun title to the post! It was wonderful to read your review. You are so good at treading the mucky waters of this book. I have read so many different views of this book. My friend from PA and her mom loved it. I think it's at the top of the list of her all-time favorite books. Of course, she is constantly reading thrillers and can never remember anything about them. Still, I think it's one I will pass on.

I didn't realize the author of this book and her controversy with a murder that happened back in the 90s. She has definitely gotten back to nature with so many of her nonfiction books. And it's great that she has made many in the Carolinas very happy with her depiction of that country too which doesn't always happen when people write about certain landscapes and landmarks.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Thanks for your comments. I still don't know who gave me the Lucky Black Cat, but it is adorable. I really should not think about any sweets until um next month. Our library has already been purchased by a food pantry so they can't wait for us to leave yet whe have to wait for the building we are supposed to go to, to empty out. Oh, these waiting games continue.

Better Left Unsaid said...

Oh, everybody's reading it. Great to get your thoughts on this book! People are still on hold for this book. Of course, making a movie gives new life to the book too. So glad you took the challenge. I hope your week is going well. August will be over before I know it. Thanks so much for your comments..of course, I feel as if I'm slowly trying to get my plot going yet still it feels I'm meandering along the way.

Raquel Loio said...

It must be a read that arouses many emotions! A hug, Raquel

Samantha said...

I've heard this story mentioned a lot lately (due to the movie) and had no idea what it was about! Very deep plot and I would've never guessed what it was about. I honestly had zero clue until now, so thanks for the review of the story and giving me an idea of it! It sounds like it has a lot of layers, and the murder sounds like a dark plot twist. The bullying and abuse sound terribly sad. The fact that a local boy teaches her how to read is sooo sweet!

Lovely said...

This sounds like an intense read. Thanks for the review.
xoxo
Lovely
www.mynameislovely.com

Jewel Divas Style said...

I haven't read this book, and don't plan on reading it. I cannot deal with grown ass adults leaving their children behind at the hands of an abuser instead of taking them away from it. And regardless of how much she might teach herself, little girls need their mothers to teach them everything, and she was taught nothing except abandonment.

It's a hard pass from me.