21 Jul Where the Crawdad’s Sing
I chose this book because my mother sent it to me…how sweet of her <3 I recognized the cover and remembered that Molly read it as well and I will own this – in the past this is not a book I would have picked up. I simply didn’t read fiction novels. Even when I was in quarantine I admit that I was beefing about all the murder mystery, romance, court room drama books available to us, plus the lack of anything else. I might have also said that I would have no desire to read one again…okay, I did say that. Here I am though, having finished a novel that is exactly that – a murder mystery, romance, and court room drama. There was also an aspect to this book that made me feel connected knowing that both Suzie and Molly have read it and that it would feel so good to talk about story with them.
In the past, for me, reading was about obtaining new information. If I was going to sit down and work my way through a book it had to teach me something, I had to learn. And yes, this is cliche, but you can learn a LOT from a fiction book. It’s a different kind of learning – more introspective and cerebral, more pondering. Plus, it is simply enjoyable to have a good book. I found myself searching for extra time throughout the day to sit down and continue reading “Where the Crawdad’s Sing”.
Spoiler alert (not really) but crawdad’s don’t sing. I was disappointed as this item was going to hold a high spot on my list of “things to do when I am released”. Where they would sing, if they did, is out there. If you know you know. Out in the woods, in the middle of nowhere. While this book isn’t centrally about being in the middle of nowhere, that type of place is the setting, and that way of life, along with immense periods of solitude, is what develops the main character in to who she is and the life she creates for herself. This is how the author describes where to go find the crawdad’s singing and I can feel myself there, and I am patiently awaiting the next time that occurs: “…first you must go – all by yourself – and set up a small camp in the real wilderness. I’m speaking of a place far from any road or village. Not a park, but a remote and wild land filled with Earth’s creatures. Just before dusk, you must walk deep into the woods and stand there exposed and totally alone as darkness descends around you. When you can feel the planet beneath your toes and the trees moving about, you must listen with all your ears, and – I promise – you will hear the crawdads sing. In fact, it will be a chorus.”
There is so much soul and spirit in this story. For being incarcerated, I enjoyed how it transported me to feeling like I was deep in the bayou – the humidity, the hanging moss, the growth & decay, the diversity of wildlife and the serenity of it all. It’s a big life lesson and one I’m glad to accept. Not many people are against fiction and as a society we spend enormous amounts of time watching Netlfix shows that are made up. But to sit down and read a fiction story is a far more rewarding experience than viewing another TV show that ends before it starts.