Faith Zochowski
If you are an avid reader and have a TikTok account, you have most likely heard about the novel Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. The book follows the life of the “marsh girl” who lives on her own in Barkley Cove, North Carolina. A major motion picture was released this summer based on the novel, starring lead actors Daisy Edgar-Jones and Taylor John Smith. As an avid reader myself and a lover of the novel, I was dying to see the movie. Usually a movie based on a beloved novel can go both ways. It can be an excellent adaptation or a disgrace to the author. I will be comparing the book to the novel, ultimately deciding which one tells the story of the marsh girl better. To preface, this post contains many spoilers, so if you have plans to read the book or watch the movie, come back to me later.
Kya’s Upbringing
The book begins by giving a background of Kya’s family. Kya, the youngest, has four older siblings-two sisters and two brothers. The author describes the abusive behavior of “Pa,” which ultimately forces her family to leave the house in the marsh. Kya was so young when her three oldest siblings left that she barely remembers what they look like. Ma eventually leaves as well, with Kya and her youngest brother Jodie left with Pa. Jodie and Kya care for each other, protecting one another from the wrath of Pa. Even Jodie abandons Kya after he had too much of Pa, leaving Kya completely alone with her abusive and aggressive father.
In the book, the three oldest siblings leave swiftly and without much explanation, as portrayed in the movie. The depiction of Ma leaving is quite identical to the book, having Kya watch longingly as her mother walks down the long trail to town, yearning for her mother to come back each day that passes. My only critique would be the depiction of Jodie. Jodie choses to stay with Kya the longest and forms the closest bond with his sister. Although it is obvious a movie must be shorter than a novel, I feel that they should have put more of an emphasis on what Jodie’s leaving did to Kya. Yes, the scene in the movie of them hugging and crying is a tear jerker, but overall, the departure of each of her family members was rushed.
What’s with the marsh girl looking so put together?
Again, if you have a TikTok account and are a fan of the story, you have most likely seen word circling about why Kya looked incredible while living on the marsh. In the novel, Kya makes due with what she has. She raids her mother’s closet for clothes that are much too big for her but suitable. Jumpin’ and his wife who own the bait shop in town also help her out, giving her shoes, dresses, and other clothes from their church donations. As Kya gets older, she experiments with her mother’s old makeup but does less experimentation with her hair, which is mostly pulled back in a braid. Not to mention, her only source of showering would be to bathe in the marsh.
But in the movie, Kya looks exquisite in every scene-hair CURLED, makeup perfect, and clothes that look like they were purchased from Free People. This interpretation could not be more obviously wrong. If someone like her lived on the marsh, they would not curl their hair and put makeup on to go fish and do housework. She would also never have access to the nice clothes she wore in the movie. Again, it’s Hollywood, but it made myself and other book lovers quite aggravated.
The Tough Topic of Sexual Abuse
In the novel, Chase, who is the antagonist of the novel, sexually assaults Kya. She fights back, running away into the woods with only a black eye and a hurting heart. She vows not to tell anyone what happened, knowing nobody would take her word over Chase’s, the star football player of the town.
In my opinion, the movie does a great job of depicting this difficult scene. It’s graphic yet does not go too far. Most importantly, it portrays the great courage that Kya had to fight back and run away from Chase.
Tate and Kya- A Love Story
Tate and Kya’s love story in the novel is one for the books-ironic, I know. Tate is the man that every girl hopes to have one day. He would do anything for Kya and teaches her so many life lessons without making her feel stupid. He even teaches her to read and write. Even though he does leave her for college, he comes back and supports her through the trial, and eventually vows to spend the rest of his life with her in the marsh.
These characters are so beloved, and I think they cast them perfectly in the movie. Their chemistry was evident on screen as it was in the book. They even chose certain direct quotes from the novel. As a book lover, it warmed my heart. Good job directors.
Court Scenes
The second half of the book mostly entails Kya’s trial for the murder of Chase Andrews. These scenes were probably the best portrayal of the book. Kya’s lawyer, Mr. Milton, is an excellent actor in the movie. Again, his lines are almost exact from the book. He spends his time gaining Kya’s trust and views her as a person, unlike many members of Barkley Cove. In both the book and movie, he brings her books about organisms and wildlife, which she finds fascinating. His closing statement in the trial is very accurate to the book, and the actor David Straithairn delivers it so well.
SPOILER! End of the Movie
I’ll say it again-do not read this if you do not want to know the plot twist!
In the very last page of the novel, after Kya passes away at an old age, her husband Tate begins to look through her collection of books. He comes upon a box of poems and flips through them, amazed at the beautiful poems she wrote and kept secret. He found one folded in its own envelope with a small box next to it. Upon opening the small box, Chase’s shell necklace is revealed hidden in the box, implying that Kya did in fact kill murder him. Tate is overcome with emotion and throws the necklace into the waters of the marsh.
Even though in the movie the necklace is tucked in the cover of a book of poems, it ends exactly how the book did, which made my writer’s heart extremely happy. The microphone drop at the end of the book was the only acceptable ending to such an excellent book, so it made me extremely happy to see that the directors thought the same, choosing not to touch Delia Owen’s masterpiece.
Overall..
The movie was a great adaptation of the novel. Because I am a writer at heart, I side with the book because of the detail and beautiful writing by the author. Even so, both the book and movie were a perfect beach read and summer film.
You may also like this
