Where the Crawdads Sing

I had high expectations of this book, few of which were met. So much of Crawdads felt heavy-handed to me. Three separate times the title was included in the text, and each mention felt weirdly obtrusive. I understand, she's way out in a marsh, where the crawdads sing. I get it.

The plot was too convenient, and the pacing felt off. Not much happened in the first half, then it seemed to be building to something big. But then the end just spit out back-to-back anticlimactic reveals of either obvious or peripheral plot points.

I struggled with Kya as a character. I think there was definite potential, but she was more flat than not. Obviously it made sense that Kya's upbringing produced trust issues and isolation, but at times it felt like fear of abandonment was her defining personality trait.

Also, why did other characters keep corroborating this idea that she could just never leave the marsh? Everyone operated under this strange conviction that insurmountable barriers prevented Kya from living any differently than how she always had. As though she was simply incompatible with society. This deepened the power differentials that warped Kya's relationships with both Tate and Chase.

We're shown that Kya needs saved from herself by paternalistic figures (almost all male, the only departure a bit of a mammy figure in Mabel). She lacks not only formal education, but also struggles with trust and intimacy due to the loss of her family. Who better than a few smitten men to educate an impoverished, entirely socially isolated teenager about love and sex and relationships? What could go wrong?

Both Tate and Chase fixate on Kya as an exotic, elusive figure. They're struck by beauty and strength that Kya doesn't seem to realize, and are especially struck by this lack of awareness.
They love how she's “not like the other girls.” As if Kya is too down to earth to care about things like makeup. For most of her adolescence, makeup is a luxury Kya quite literally cannot afford to care about. Maybe this draw is more about belittling women and that which is associated with femininity than Kya's distinct interests and personality.
Both men find solace in Kya's company outside of their “real lives,” even though they are her only company. No need to isolate her socially to better control her and their relationship, because Kya is already alone!

Who is Kya to Tate and Chase outside of the context of the marsh? As discussed above, both struggle to see Kya (and themselves with Kya) outside of said context. Both Tate and Chase are reluctant to integrate Kya into their “real lives.”
Kya is an outlet. She's an avenue to participate in a different way of doing life and seeing the world. She's a damaged damsel who needs to be taught how to read and how to kiss.

Obviously readers are supposed to root and/or fall for Tate, but best as I can figure his best quality is that he isn't as bad as Chase. And he certainly isn't as bad as Chase. But there were a lot of similar power differentials and dynamics at play. The message seemed to be that these imbalances were made good or bad based solely on the character of the man holding power over Kya. Never does Owens address that the imbalances themselves complicate things.

I'll stop there, but suffice it to say that I found this to be poorly written and poorly edited. Every notable development was justified by assumptions I either did not understand or found stale and problematic. I'm glad others like it so well, but this one was not for me.