Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

61 reviews

saurahsaurus's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Updated 7/20/22. I am not one of those who believes that an artist’s works should be separated from their personal life. If I am going to spend my money and time on something, I want it align with my values—or at least not blatantly violate my conscience. Shortly after finishing this book, I discovered that the author, her husband, and her stepson were wanted for questioning related to their potential involvement in the murder of an alleged poacher in Zambia. The White Savior tropes and

approval of the main character getting away with murder

all make sense now. Even without the knowledge that the author’s stepson was potentially involved in the murder of a Zambian man in a formerly colonized country and that the author and her then-family fled the country instead of cooperating with investigators, this book made me uneasy. It was exasperatingly self-indulgent in the way it dealt with race and racism, to the point that the Black characters seemed almost cartoonish in their irreality. (Read: an entire community of Black people, who had never met Kya—a White outsider—

parted like the Red Sea when Kya came to their segregated neighborhood for Jumpin’s funeral.

)

I think that this type of racism (White Savior and ever-so-grateful Black people who cannot be the architects of their own salvation) is inherently harmful, but bearing the author’s personal history in mind, it takes on a new level of sinisterness. It reeks of White guilt and fragility, and bears entirely too much resemblance to the author’s life to be coincidence.

I previously gave this book a 2.75, but it truly deserves a zero for the author’s real life sins.

Original review: The author has such a distinct style of writing, and her prose can be strikingly beautiful—intermittently simple and abstruse. However, I have two main issues with this book. Chiefly, I felt like certain aspects of this book weren’t consistent in conveying the social mores of the time, or their severity. I understand that racial inequality is difficult to convey and a sensitive topic, but I always have to wonder why an author chooses a time period in which this is a salient issue, only to not effectively capture its essence. It very much felt like a White person trying to portray the experience of Black Americans at the time. For instance, despite being a small and deeply segregated town,

the judge decided on the spot that a trial that occurred in his court would be integrated, and that anyone who disagreed would not be welcome. It just didn’t seem realistic.

As another example,

when Jumpin’, a Black supporting character and a close friend of Kya’s, was being threatened by some White boys, Kya just happened to be in the right place at the right time. She defended Jumpin’ by incapacitating the two boys.

It felt very much like a “White Savior” moment to me. Furthermore,

when one of the Black characters dies in the book, the whole town comes out to attend his funeral and every Black person that attended stepped aside for Kya…despite none of them knowing her.

It was all very weird and didn’t feel realistic or consistent with the racism depicted—either implicitly or explicitly. As yet another example,

at one point, Kya even compares her situation to situations that have befallen Black women and says it’s the exact same. Seriously? Even as an outcast, Kya was a WHITE WOMAN. I don’t think I need to explain why Kya’s life experiences would have been drastically different from a Black woman in the same position. Kya may have been discouraged from visiting certain places, but she had a legal right to do so. Black people at the time were legally barred from many establishments. Furthermore and most importantly, (massive spoiler ahead) if a Black person had been accused of murdering a White man in 1970, in a small and segregated town, I cannot see how they would’ve possibly been acquitted or had any semblance of a fair trial. How is that the same? Ugh.

My second main issue was the ending. Massive spoiler ahead.

I don’t even know what to say, really. I mean, sure I get why Kya would do what she did, but then I feel like it completely nullifies all of the lessons the book is supposed to be teaching and preaching about. Kya was ostracized, which was horribly wrong, but then the towns people were actually right about her committing murder? And I felt like the book implied that they were wrong for being prejudiced and jumping to conclusions. Sure, their reasoning was prejudiced but they ended up being right. If you’re gonna have Kya, this person who’s supposed to be innocent and wild and free and a bit weird but harmless, be the killer…then lean into that. There was not really a whole lot of duality to her (eg a dark side) that would have made that plot twist make sense. So why do it, if not for shock value? It just felt really inconsistent with her character. I would have actually rooted for Kya to get away with murder (in fiction only!) if that dark side had been established earlier on and not just out of nowhere.

Anyway, I enjoyed parts of this book but I don’t see myself re-reading it. There are so many books out there, and I’m almost frustrated that I spent time reading this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Infertility, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts

A note on the sexual violence and harassment tags, which contains a significant spoiler but is not detailed:

the violence was attempted, but not successful.

If you would like specific details, then please keep reading. However, please note that they may be triggering or disturbing. I have tried to be as brief as possible. If you would not like further spoilers (or you find this information too disturbing), then please do not read.

In the scene, someone who the main character knows very well sneaks up on her, and attempts to rape her. He manages to partially remove her clothing and is about to commit sexual assault, but the main character is able to fight him off and flee. In the process, both individuals inflict injuries on each other.

A note about the stalking tag:

I’m not entirely sure that the technical term would be stalking, but the main character is forced to hide from another character (whom she knows very well) because it is likely that he intends to grievously harm her. He attempts to find her, but does not track her. This could be due to the fact that the main character is especially evasive, and therefore he was unable to stalk her.

abception's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Infertility, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

sniggy's review

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

So I cannot express how much I love this book.From start to finish it kept me interested. Honestly, I think the layout of the book was perfect.The first part we get to learn about Kya's childhood, the middle part is about her relationships and the last is about the murder.In most murder mysteries, it's just about the murder and its very tense but this felt - I don't know- chiller? The plot twist was right on the last page and leaves you confused and wanting for more. just read it!!!!

At the start i thought Kya murdered Chase. Then i thought it was Tate who did it. The plot twist was just wow.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Alcohol

mirroball's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Murder

Minor: Bullying, Eating disorder, Infertility, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment

kansxlibrary's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

Yes this book has A LOT of trigger warnings- not all of them are graphic. The way the author wrote this book is so captivating and yes I was sitting with my mouth open after I finished the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War

sauvageloup's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

a beautiful and thought-provoking book with a great plot and writing, the whole package

(spoilers throughout this review) 
pros:
- the writing is just stunning, so visual it's like seeing a misty video in your mind, but with all the emotions attached. I'm not sure I even appreciated it all properly, only stopping to really linger on phrases a couple of times because I was so into the story
- the plot was great too, totally gripping and keeps you guessing till the last page and I was so hooked at the trial, literally couldn't put it down
- part of that was the characters, which were beautiful. I desperately wanted to meet kya in real life, to have someone love me like Tate does her. their relationship and characters were so starkly beautiful. even when they do wrong, you can't stop loving them 
- I think Kya's upbringing was respected too. even when she was an adult, she still had that lingering, abandoned girl in her. she thrived despite or because of it, but it still was visibly part of her, not pushed to the side or grown out of. her trauma was still there in her wariness and defiance and silence 
- I loved that Mabel and Jumpin were the ones to step up for Kya when she was little. your heart just aches for that little girl, all alone until she's not. the tiny kindnesses of people that should've been so much more
- i loved the ending. it felt almost inevitable, in a perfectly plotted way. it seemed like it couldn't have been her during he trial, but it feels like it must have been at the same time. she knows that Chase won't leave her alone, and she talks about the female insects. that she buried her secret for so long is not unsurprisingly, though I hope she knew Tate would've forgave her. maybe he already guessed. 
- also it was just very well done all around. I can't quite say it felt wholly original in all its parts, but it came together in an original and impressive whole. I loved the descriptions of the South that bled through in the food, writing and nature. there was such love there despite the injustice. 
- oh I did appreciate that Kya's period and her sexual desire wasn't tip-toed around, though I thought we might get a masturbation scene - Kya is so independent, the idea that she'd let Chase leave her wanting and not fix it or explore herself felt not right. I was glad however that Kya and Tate had a complete life even without children, that's often the heterosexual happy ending and I'm glad they still were happy without that. I wonder if Kya's early malnutrition might've damaged her fertility, since she never conceived with Chase and there was no mention of contraception 
- OH and I just loved the nature info, and the poetry quotes. anything chance to learn, I enjoy, but particularly about nature and it was woven so well into the story. I love characters with strong interests. 

cons:
- perhaps at the start, the time jumping confused me a bit, but not too bad
- I did find it a bit sad that her growing up was defined a lot by sex and her period. there's other defining features of adulthood than that, more subtle, but there's a lot of focus on those bits
- while I loved Jumpin's character hugely and I know the times in which it was set, if reality was bent enough for Kya to get a perfect love, I wish Jumpin and the other POCs on the story had gotten more justice, more of a plot line somehow. but I guess that would've made the book too big

overall, loved it, would read again. and somebody pls get Kya a cat!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Mental illness

miamcmillan's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

absolutely beautiful and immersive prose. i felt like i was really in the marsh in north carolina at times. kya was a very captivating main character but i wish we had had more of her life and coming of age as the starkness of the murder trial didn’t seem in keeping with the rest of the novel and ruined the atmosphere the prose created for me. also, why was an 18-year-old tate making sexual advances towards a 14/15 year old kya? it made me really uncomfortable. it also perpetuated some racist stereotypes so don’t recommend buying first hand. i was reminded of piranesi by susanna clarke  in terms of the nature description and the atmosphere at times so i recommend that too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Abandonment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Murder

e_reader's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I went into it knowing the final twist, and that made the experience really interesting. I found it a little slow to get into, but finished it in less than a week! I plan to reread this soon, and I think this book is one that will hold up with rereads. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

bella_izzy_gabby's review

emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I loved everything about this book except the ending!!! I just wish the murderer had been someone else because I had all this built-up expectancy and it all just deflated once I found out who had done it.

I loved how she got to live out the rest of her life with Tate and that was all super sweet but it just felt as if that all was not right once I found out that she had killed Chase and just gotten away with it. Yes, it was unexpected but they didn't even explain how exactly she had done it. I wanted more specifics about how she had gotten away with it and not run out of time.

So, overall this was a pretty good book, the beginning was a tad slow but once I got into it I loved it... up until the end. The ending and slow beginning are the reason this book was not a 5 star for me. I was slightly disappointed (by the ending, everything else was amazing) but not terribly disappointed... so I just suggest that you read this book for yourself, you might just see it differently than I do :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol

alexisgarcia's review

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I had mixed feelings about this book. Overall, I liked the unique storyline and lush descriptions of nature and wildlife. It’s a topic I’m not incredibly well versed in so I appreciated the knowledge. The plot was unique and not incredibly predictable. However, the book fell flat for me in terms of some tropes, writing styles, and the ending. I don’t understand how kya could be the most beautiful girl everyone said she was when she was often caked in mud, with tangled hair and subjective bad hygiene. It seemed a little too on the “main character is so beautiful so she has many men pining after her” trope. I also personally did not like that it was not in first person. I think we could’ve gotten a more solid understanding of kya if it was told from her perspective. Lastly, I found that the ending really through off all of the work that had been put in the book to establish the character of kya and the reliability of the narrator. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment