January 2023 Book - Wed., the 11th @ 7PM
Where the Crawdads Sing
By: Delia Owens
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.
In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming of age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.
About the Book About the Author Book Review Author InterviewDiscussion Questions:
- What are your own feelings towards poetry and how is it used within this book?
- In an ideal world, what would have been the best intervention for Kya? If you were in the shoes of the social workers, how would you take care of her?
- In your opinion what does this story have to say about womanhood?
- How did you view Kya at the start of the book versus the end of the book? Did your opinion change, and if so, how?
- How did you feel about the ending? How satisfied or dissatisfied were you, and why?
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