Eve Davies
It’s difficult to explain the feeling you get when watching a film that has been adapted from a book, and the screenplay exactly matches your imagination. Contentment? Gratification? Pride due to your imagination being correct? I’m not sure what the best way to describe it is. What I do know is that I felt all these things when watching Where The Crawdads Sing in cinema.
On The Page
American wildlife scientist turned author, Delia Owens, carries readers through a date-jumbled, tension-filled plot, following Kya Clark between the ages of six and 25. Kya grows up alone in North Carolina, where home is a swampland shack. Her only solace, company, and source of education is the marshland, which protects her throughout her turbulent life.
Owens’ novel begins with a prologue set in 1969, setting a murder mystery scene. The following chapters intertwine the investigation, Kya’s escape from arrest, and flashbacks to her early life.
“the novel does not shy away from sensitive topics”
Abandonment, loneliness, exclusion, sexual and physical abuse, murder, and heartbreak; the novel does not shy away from sensitive topics, making for some heart-wrenching scenes. Alongside these intense scenes, runs the wholesome relationship between Kya and Tate Walker.
All she knows is nature, and this is from where Kya draws her life knowledge. She takes dating rituals from fireflies and holds hope of her mother returning after learning that animals and birds always return to their young. In her later life, she is hit by human reality and hardship. She faces some of the worst facets of mankind. Kya is a victim of an alpha-male, elitist society, which leaves her a marshland recluse.
While the townie adults and children incriminate and bully Kya, she finds support in the likes of Jumping – who strikes a business deal with her so that she can earn enough money to survive – Mabel – who teaches her about menstruation and men and provides her with Church-donated clothing supplies – and Tate – who teaches her to read and write and quickly falls in love with her, eventually becoming her happy ever after.
“Owen’s writing ignites a range of emotions”
However, it is not all smooth sailing, and Kya is perhaps not as innocent as it seems. The coming-of-age romance is offset by the possibility that, deserving or not, she is the murderer of Chase Andrews. Owens’ writing ignites a range of emotions, leaving room for doubt and surprises.
It is certainly the kind of novel you just can’t put down. Having listened to the audiobook, I can confirm that I had my air pods in at every opportunity during the three days it took me to finish the book. With narration by Cassandra Campbell, although a hard read/listen in parts, this novel is now one of my all time favourites. Admittedly I was late to the party (it was originally published in August 2018), but I’m so glad I made it through my Audible wish list to reach this novel. What’s more, I was able to rush to the cinema the day after finishing the book to fall in love with the story all over again through the film adaptation.
On Screen
Owens’ novel had the bar set high for the film production of Where The Crawdads Sing, but director Olivia Newman and producers Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter delivered. The trio have demonstrated how perfectly suited to the screen this novel is; from costume to set design, actor choice, and soundtrack. This girl gang truly hit the spot.
The juggled timeline – a standard cinematic structure – inevitably helped the screenwriter, Lucy Alibar. With scenes fading from 1952, through the sixties to 1969, the timeline in the film creates suspense without being overwhelming.
“the aesthetic of the film was everything I imagined and more”
The aesthetic of the film was everything I imagined and more. Floral swing dresses, denim dungarees, tartan shirts, and patchwork quilts – the costumes and props give ultimate 1950s/60s Carolina vibes. The setting is equally as wholesome – marsh land, long green grass, blue seas, and white sand. It was welcoming yet vast and somewhat daunting. It made you want to lay in and run along the soft sand and ride a tin boat along the grassy waters, but the terror of getting lost sat behind these longings.
The Clark’s shack is scary at first with Mr Clark’s presence overbearing the atmosphere. When he leaves, it becomes Kya’s haven and reflects her development from poverty to being an established illustrator and author. Plastered with her artwork of insects, shells, and wildlife, it is a shack that creative minds long for – a peaceful place to develop ideas, work, and display work, all while being alone with the quietness to think clearly.
“the cast is remarkable”
From Tate to Chase, Mabel, Jumping, and Tom Milton, the cast is remarkable, but above them all shines Jojo Regina’s and Daisy Edgar-Jones’ performances of little and big Kya respectively. Sweet and innocent yet strong and driven, Regina perfectly captures the spirit that Owens assigns Kya in the book. Add in maturity, talent, and beauty, and you have Edgar-Jones as Kya at the age of 25. One thing that stood out to me in Edgar-Jones’ performance was how well she captured Kya’s high morals. When done wrong by Chase, she shows her deep self-respect by cutting all ties with him even though that means loneliness for her.
Kya’s romantic side is also worth noting. Her relationship with Tate is brought to the fore in the film adaptation – visually seeing the pair together elicits their affection on another level.
I’ve been known to fall asleep in the cinema, but there was no chance I was missing a second of this film. Eye-opening and heart-warming, Where The Crawdads Sing is without a doubt a ‘must watch’ and ‘must read’.
Featured image courtesy of Budiey on Flickr. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
evedaviess
Eve is 22 years old and lives in Swansea. She has recently graduated from Cardiff University with a BA in English Literature. Eve's main interest is in lifestyle writing, particularly health, food, and travel.