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A review by kaeschwalber
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I really love this book. The setting was excellent and beautiful, the mfc was relatable and realistic, pacing was great, plot twists were incredible.
One this I absolutely hated was that the main love interest (Tate) was pedophilic. We only see it (in my opinion) in his age difference, the conversation he has with his father where he talks about how he is specifically attracted to her innocence and purity, and some controlling behaviors when it comes to her other relationship. She has a history of being abused and from the outside does seem very uninformed and potentially easy to manipulate. Together these redflags were screaming at me the rest of the book as her relationship with Tate develops. This made his character unrealistic to me as I could not understand why a man who was so attracted to her innocence and controlling of her external relationships could partner with a girl that he did not think could or would protect herself without exhibiting other serious forms of control and abuse.
Finally, the black character in this book absolutely fit into the traditional architype of "only exist to help the white protagonist". The do not have their own plots, beliefs, or goals outside of helping the main character.
One this I absolutely hated was that the main love interest (Tate) was pedophilic. We only see it (in my opinion) in his age difference, the conversation he has with his father where he talks about how he is specifically attracted to her innocence and purity, and some controlling behaviors when it comes to her other relationship. She has a history of being abused and from the outside does seem very uninformed and potentially easy to manipulate. Together these redflags were screaming at me the rest of the book as her relationship with Tate develops. This made his character unrealistic to me as I could not understand why a man who was so attracted to her innocence and controlling of her external relationships could partner with a girl that he did not think could or would protect herself without exhibiting other serious forms of control and abuse.
Finally, the black character in this book absolutely fit into the traditional architype of "only exist to help the white protagonist". The do not have their own plots, beliefs, or goals outside of helping the main character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Infertility, Abandonment, Bullying, Death, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death of parent