Where the Crawdads Sing is a movie out in theaters based on the book by Delia Owens. Movie was released on May 15, 2022, while the book was published on August 14, 2018. The story takes place in a small town in North Carolina. Within this small town is a girl named Kya, considered the “ Marsh Girl.” This story tells Kya’s life story of being wild and free in nature, including a trial she was on for the murder of her former love interest. Her close relationships to those other than her immediate family, not by choice, led to her living alone in the marsh. Her poverty and far from usual upbringing made her susceptible to a topic of town gossip. Shunned her whole life made her very mysterious to the town she calls home and the jury members deciding how her past, as well as their judgment, will affect her future.  

   After being dubbed one of the books to read in “Reese’s Book Club,” Reese Witherspoon sought to produce the book into a motion picture. Her prayer was answered when director Olivia Newman and her team decided to make this a reality.  

   Actress Daisy Edgar Jones, plays the leading role of Kya with co-stars Taylor John Smith as Tate Walker, and Harris Dickinson as Chase Andrews. 

   You can’t find the book on the shelfs at GBHS, but it is available on Amazon. The movie as of right now is available for purchase on iTunes and can be watched from the comfort of your home.  

   While a murder trial is a large subject of the novel and movie, law enforcement suspects the author, Delia Owens, to have been involved with a real murder case in 2012. Owens and her husband spent years living in parts of Africa and raised awareness to prevent poachers from harming nature. A documentary was released and the producers included the murder of, according to another news source,  TheTab.com, “…an alleged poacher, executed while lying collapsed on the ground after having already been shot.” Although no charges were made, the investigation was put at a halt when her lawyer,  Lillian Shawa-Siyuni, stated “that the investigation has been stalled by the lack of an extradition treaty between Zambia and the United States.”  

   Student, Mia Klause, who is a senior, has read the book as well as watched the movie. Klause was interviewed and spoke upon her experience of reading the novel before experiencing the movie, “I am glad that I had the opportunity to read the book prior to seeing the movie. While the movie did meet my expectations, it wasn’t as enjoyable to watch as it was to read. Delia Owens has a very poetic style of writing that is hard to illustrate through screenplay, and in my opinion was what made the book so good.” Klause describes Owen’s storyline as, “ vivid imagery… impressive and very engaging.” Student, Savannah Smith, also agreed with Klause’s consensus of the movie, “ This aside, it was still a movie of good quality, just not as good as the book” 

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