On The Silver Screen: "Every Creature Does What it Must to Survive"
- Ingrid Rivera
- Jan 15, 2024
- 5 min read
The story that captivated readers within months of its release and earned author Delia Owens a spot on the New York Times Bestsellers list two years in a row brings to life a coming of age story shrouded in the mist of a murder mystery. Where the Crawdads Sing--Owens' debut novel released on August 14, 2018--has quickly become a worldwide success, with Delia Owens reporting on her August 14, 2023, Instagram post celebrating the novel's fifth anniversary that 22 million copies of the book have been sold worldwide.
With the involvement of individuals such as Reese Witherspoon, who served as one of two producers, and Taylor Swift, who wrote an original song for the movie, the movie adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing saw the haunting story of the book featuring Kya, the marsh where she resides, and the upbringing and murder that defines her life in the book brought to life. With the title of our post drawing directly from the final line of the film's trailer, it is evident that the story is one of survival in a world working against you at every turn and what must be done to make it through.
Taking The World by Storm
Where the Crawdads Sing tells the story of Kya, a girl abandoned by her entire family by the age of ten and left to fend for herself. Growing up known as the "marsh girl," Kya isolates herself in the depths of the marsh she has known her whole life and self-educates while fighting and working for her survival. Amidst the turmoil of her upbringing, Owens brings to life a coming of age story mired with the essence of the genre as Kya discovers her place in the world. Using the basic survival skills taught to her before her abandonment, Kya manages not only to survive but also to turn her skills into a profitable act to attain the basics of life.
Following its release in August 2018, the novel was selected as the Reese's Book Club pick for September 2018. A Time article from 2022, released the day before the movie adaptation's release date, states that the book's "publisher Putnam originally printed a modest 28,000 copies; [as] no one anticipated the runaway hit the novel would become...." By March 2019, one million copies of the book had been sold; by October 2019, it had surpassed 4 million copies sold; by July 2020, the number had reached 7 million; and by February 2021, it celebrated over 10 million copies sold. Author Delia Owens also reported on her website in March 2021 that the novel "holds the record for the most weeks at #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction (according to the most recent iteration of the last beginning 2008)."
For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet fishing village. Kya Clark is barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when the popular Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect her. But Kya is not what they say. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life's lessons from the land, learning the real ways of the world from the dishonest signals of fireflies. But while she has the skills to live in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world—until the unthinkable happens. |
A story of resilience in Kya's upbringing is juxtaposed against the gruesome murder of the town's golden boy. As Kya faces the societal judgement and backlash at being accused of Chase's murder, she finds herself navigating a world that after always having been against her has now come to claim its fund of flesh. Self taught in every aspect of life she has come to know, the new and exciting changes in Kya's life parallel the abandonment and struggle of her childhood and as she faces trial she finds that life is as unkind and brutal as the environment in which she has grown up in. But Kya learned long ago to turn her weaknesses to strengths and despite all the challenges beat the odds to survive in the marshes, and so to will she face what life and a murder trial throw her way.
Four Years in The Making
In a turn of events almost as shocking as the novel's thrilling ending, in just a mere 4 months following its release, Variety released an article in December 2018 announcing that Reese Witherspoon would be producing the film adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing. It is a shock that speaks to the unprecedented success of the novel and a true feat of success for author Delia Owens with her debut novel.
In the three-and-a-half years that followed between the original announcement by Variety in December 2018 and the films release in July 2022, the film saw the addition of Olivia Newman (First March) as director and Lucy Alibar (Beasts of Southern Wild) as writer in July 2020 and later that same year announced it had found its lead in Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People). We should note that Edgar-Jones starred as Marianne, one of two protagonist in the television mini-series adaptation of Normal People by Sally Rooney, a book which was recently featured as one of our January Sweet Spot recommendations last week.
In January 2021, Taylor John Smith (Sharp Objects) and Harris Dickinson (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) were announced in the roles of the novel's two love interests. Later the same year David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck), Michael Hyatt (Snowfall), Sterling Macer Jr (Double Take), Ahna O'Reilly (The Help), and Garrett Dillahunt (Fear the Walking Dead) were announced as starring in the film. The Following year in June 2022, Taylor Swift, who had previously been announced to be writing an original song for the film, released "Carolina", which had been featured in the March 2022 trailer released for the film.
Abandoned by her family, Kya Clark, otherwise known to the townspeople of Barkley Cove as the Marsh Girl, is mysterious and wild. "Where the Crawdads Sing" is a coming-of-age story of a young girl raised by the marshlands of the south in the 1950s. When the town hotshot is found dead, and inexplicably linked to Kya, the Marsh Girl is the prime suspect in his murder case. |
The film has received mixed reviews from critics and viewers, with Rotten Tomatoes reporting a 35% on its "Tomatometer" from critics who praise Edgar-Jones' performance while critiquing the film for not measuring up. On the opposite end, the "Audience Score" sits at a 96%, from over 5,000 verified ratings, with reviews praising the film for offering a true-to-the-book story with beautiful settings and good acting. While we at The Book Hive are in no way film critics, we must always side with audiences, especially when it comes to a good film that has managed to bring audiences a story that is in line with their book-set expectations and that delivers on its mission to adapt the story many connect to.
A Controversial History
Despite the widespread success and global renown garnered by the novel, they ears since its release have not been without challenge. While being Owens debut fiction novel, the author had previously released nonfiction novels revolving around her career as a zoologist and conservationist. While working as a conservationist in Zambia with her ex-husband, Owens became involved in a case involving the killing of an alleged poacher which was captured on camera and later released. The case has followed Owens throughout the years with speculation and rumors amassing around the author, fueled further by the plot line and similarities in her successful debut novel to her own life story.
While there have been no charged brought against Owens and the Zambian Government have stated as reported by Jeffery Goldberg, editor-in chief of The Atlantic magazine, that Owens is not believed to be a suspect. The controversy, speculation, and rumors have followed Owens throughout most of her life since the release of the footage, however, despite that Where the Crawdads Sing has found a place in the homes of readers around the world. With over 20 million copies sold to date of the novel and a feature film that a month after its release has grossed over three-times its budget, there is no question that readers and viewers all over the world have found a connection with Owens story of resilience, intrigue, and coming of age.
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