New year, same resolution. When we realized that each of us had plans to read more in 2019, the PSG Book Club was born.
Eager readers all, we got started right away. Each member was given three slips of paper to write down their book suggestions, then we mixed them all in a bowl for drawing. We drew our first title in December for our January meeting. Follow us as we meet monthly to discuss our newest reads!
JANUARY
Title: Where the Crawdads Sing
Author: Delia Owens
Average PSG Rating: 3.7/5
Favorite Quote: “Miles of blade-grass so tough it grew in salt water, interrupted only by trees so bent they wore the shape of the wind.”
Though the book is partially billed as a murder mystery, the true focus of the book is the development of its main character, Kya, and the Carolinian marsh she grows up in. The marsh becomes its own character, the only presence that is ever reliable for Kya. Weaved into her relationship with the marsh and the town that has spurned her is Kya’s evolution from abandoned child to independent woman and natural naturalist.
As a group, we all had positive reviews, and found that we had each been unable to put it down for the final third of the story. We were all drawn in by Owens’s descriptions of the setting and by Kya’s unimaginable ability to survive. Annette notes that, “While I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the scientific observations about nature woven throughout, it made for a richer and more complex novel that was a pleasure to read.”
We would definitely recommend Owens’s debut novel—there’s a little something for everyone to be found in this marsh on the coast of North Carolina. That, and a movie adaptation to look forward to.
Keep an eye out for our February post, where we’ll review our next pick—Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.
