A review by annaboudinot
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Did not finish book.

1.0

I cringed as I read about a seven-year-old girl who managed to survive on her own in a shack in the swamp for seven years. Not because I felt sorry for her, but because I didn’t believe for a second that it could actually happen. Then I thought, well, relax. Suspend your disbelief. And I kept reading. I cringed every time the author brought a Black character into the story. The stereotypes were never harsh enough to be overtly racist, but the clichés and tired old tropes made me clench my teeth waiting for something extremely inappropriate. But I kept reading, because the book has gotten great reviews. What finally made me put the book down and decide I would not be able to finish it was the description of the 14-year-old girl attracting the attention of an 18-year-old boy. At that point I regretted letting the other things go. This is not a good book. It’s an OK book that has tricked people into thinking it’s a good book. At least that’s my impression after reading about 30% of it.