Answers to Go
Q. I really loved the book Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Could you recommend some other books like it?
A. Where the Crawdads Sing is our most popular book at the San Marcos Public Library with the highest number of checkouts, two years in a row.
If you haven’t read Where the Crawdads Sing, here is a brief synopsis: For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. She's barefoot and wild, and unfit for polite society. In late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, but Kya is not what they say. Abandoned at age 10, she has survived on her own in the marsh she calls home. While she could have lived in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world — until the unthinkable happens.
One book you might enjoy is Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang. Like Kya, the main character of this book, Weylyn Grey, lives in seclusion, and is very in tune with nature. He was orphaned at a young age and raised by wolves. The story is told from alternating point of views from the people who meet and develop a friendship with Weylen, an unusual person with seemingly magical powers.
Though Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance includes an element of magical realism absent from Where the Crawdads Sing, both these coming-of-age novels center on a character who grew up in seclusion only to draw unwanted attention as adults.
Another read-alike suggestion is The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister. In this book, Emmeline lives an enchanted childhood on a remote island with her father, who teaches her about the natural world through her senses. What he won’t explain are the mysterious scents stored in the drawers that line the walls of their cabin, or the origin of the machine that creates them. As Emmeline grows up, she discovers life-altering secrets that shake her confidence in her father. Emmeline is forced to leave the island, and everything is new to her. The Scent Keeper and Where the Crawdads Sing are both atmospheric coming-of-age stories that feature young girls raised in isolation who connect to the natural world around them. Another book you might enjoy is Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. Set in in 1987, the main character is a misunderstood 14-year-old girl. The only person who has ever truly understood June is her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn's company. He is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. June's world is turned upside down, when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness. However, Finn's death brings a surprise acquaintance into June's life—someone who will help her to heal and question what she thinks she knows about Finn, her family, and even her own heart. Tell the Wolves I’m Home and Where the Crawdads Sing both have quirky, sympathetic characters that offset a bit of the emotional intensity in these character-driven, atmospheric coming-of-age stories.
For more book recommendations, call or email the library at 512-393-8200 or smpl@sanmarcostx.gov.
