Passionate readers are aware of the best books that are written in every genre. And if you are one of them you will most certainly be aware of the book named Where the Crawdads Sing. The novel is the first published work do the author Delia Owens and it is the book that got her recognition in the literature world. Shortly after its release, the book has been dominating the bestseller lists, the library holds, book clubs, etc.
The massive success of the book can be estimated by the fact that Where the Crawdads Sing held the spot of the New York Times bestseller hardcover fiction list for 2019 for 27 nonconsecutive weeks. Some of the credit of its humongous success also goes to Reese Witherspoon who last year not only chose the book for her book club but is also planning to adapt it into a movie.
The book is basically a mystery novel with family and courtroom drama. The coming-of-age mystery is actually based around a murder. The book tells you the story of Kya Clark. The girl who is based in North Carolina has been abandoned by everyone that she has ever trusted or loved in her life. The book also has two timelines woven together that reveals the mysterious murder of a local celebrity.
The author has crafted a beautiful story of love, survival, hope, and loss within its pages. It reveals the truth that you are not even ready for. With a very unbelievable ending, the book will have you on the edge. Well, it was obvious that after witnessing such a masterpiece people would be interested in reading more stuff like this and for all those readers out there we have curated the following list:
1. Milkman
Author: Anna Burns
Publishing Year: 2018
Milkman written by Anna Burns is the winner of the 2018 Man Booker Prize. The book tells you the tale of an unnamed town in Northern Ireland. It is a coming-of-age novel set in the 1970s during the struggles that the country was facing. The protagonist in the story is referred to as the Middle Sister and the story is told with the first-person narration.
The book follows the life of the Middle Sister who is getting harassed by the man who she calls Milkman. The Milkman is a middle-aged man who is married and carries a political agenda. The problem arises when she realized that because of that she is attracting a lot of attention and she knew it was dangerous for her.
2. My Absolute Darling
Name: Gabriel Tallent
Publishing Year: 2017
The critically acclaimed book, My Absolute Darling by the author is a fiction debut. The book may be difficult to read at some points but it will prove it to you that it is worth every bit of the acclaim earned. The protagonist in the story is a girl named Julie “Turtle” Alveston. Julie may not be good at learning at school but shooting and handling guns is where she shines.
Her father is an abusive sociopath and Julie lives with him. He has taught the girl everything he knows about shooting and hunting. But slowly you will discover in the story that her father’s abuse towards her is constantly increasing and she has to fight for her survival.
But at the same time, she is also suffering from Stockholm disease which makes her love her dad but also is feared at the same time. But soon she realizes this all has to end and she will have to put up a fight for good.
3. The Snow Child
Author: Eowyn Ivey
Publishing Year: 2012
The Snow Child basically feels like a fairytale in the middle but is ultimately a mystery novel. The story in the book follows the life of Jack and Mabel who are struggling to have a child. They are very demotivated and feel lonely. One day they decide to build a snow child outside their house. And when they wake up the next day the Snow Child was gone and a little girl named Faina was standing in his place.
Faina was actually a resident of a forest and hunts with a red fox. But that day, she was standing alone. The couple Jack and Mabel adopts the girl and treat her as her own child. As the plot progresses the readers will witness some shocking truth about Faina.
The couple is unaware that something unbelievable is waiting for them right around the corner and it is going to change their lives forever.
4. The Great Alone
Author: Kristin Hannah
Publishing Year: 2017
Set in the wilds of Alaska, the book became an instant bestseller on the New York Times bestseller list. A totally unpredictable and unforgiving tale about Ernst Albright who has recently been returned from the Vietnam war. The man has been completely transformed and turned into a very violent and aggressive also he is having some trouble adapting to his regular life.
He lives with her wife and a thirteen years old daughter named Levi. He leaves his job and moves out of the city with his family to live in northern Alaska and start a new life. Their new life starts going pretty well and they feel like their prayers have been answered and now everything will function smoothly.
But everything starts crumbling when the winter comes around which leaves them with 18 hours of darkness each day. Slowly things get very ugly and they realize that all their efforts are going down the hell.
5. Sycamore
Author: Bryn Chancellor
Publishing Year: 2017
Sycamore is a mind-twisting read with a coming-of-age tone and mystery at the end. The story begins when a new resident of Sycamore arrives and goes on a hike. While on his adventure he stumbles upon human remains such as bones. After confronting the other towners he came to know that these remains could be of Jess Winters.
Jess Winters was a young girl who disappeared 18 years ago and was never found. At this point, the author has introduced an alternate timeline where the other residents recall what happened to her. Also at the same time, the people also feared the loss of their entire community.
If you enjoyed Where the Crawdads Sing because of the element of mystery, then you will definitely enjoy this book.
6. Educated
Author: Tara Westover
Publishing Year: 2018
Similar to the story of Kya’s, Educated is a memoir by Tara Westover which tells the tale of a woman’s struggle and how against all odds she tries to outgrow the labels that she was not ready to accept. Educated is the author’s own story and it shows are that women are really strong and no matter if the conditions are unfavorable they will definitely make their own way.
Tara Westover was born on a small isolated island of Idaho. The location was pretty picturesque and the views were breathtaking. In this book, the author recounts her daily life between the mountains where they had to struggle to fit in and be accepted.
She didn’t receive any sort of formal education until she reached the age of 17 but she was accepted in a Ph.D. program at Cambridge University. It is a very inspiring story of the struggle of the woman and battling with society and finally a victory.
7. Before We Were Yours
Author: Lisa Wingate
Publishing Year: 2017
Before We Were Yours is a non-fiction book by Lisa Wingate which tells the tale of a real-life scandal. The riveting and uplifting story introduces you to the siblings’ love and the weight of secrets. The book runs in two timelines, past and present. In the past timeline you will get to know that how in 1939, two siblings Rill Foss, twelve years old and her four younger siblings became a part of a kidnapping scandal.
Later then all the siblings ended up in the Tennessee Children’s Home Society and Rill takes control of the situation to keep everyone together. On the other end, the present timeline is the story of Avery Stafford, a wealthy girl and a privileged public prosecutor who is marrying her fiance in a lavish wedding ceremony.
Suddenly her life is turned upside down after an encounter and she discovers her family’s past and initiates a new journey.
8. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Author: Gail Honeyman
Publishing Year: 2017
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, is a story of Eleanor Oliphant as the name suggests. Eleanor is a 29 years old woman who lives a pretty regular life. The woman has not changed her hairstyle since the time when she was 13, or eats the same kind of food every day. She lives a pretty monotonous life and is socially awkward. Every weekend she drinks two bottles of vodka and always completes the crossword puzzle.
But things start changing when she falls in love with a local band singer who looks incredibly handsome. The appearance of love in her life, Eleanor’s routine is shaken up and she goes on a quest for love. In the meantime the readers will also get introduced with her past that explains her weird personality.
The debut novel by the author is selected for Reese Witherspoon’s book club and it is the winner of the Costa Debut Novel Award. It is the story of friendship, isolation and a quest to find love.
9. Once Upon A River
Author: Bonnie Jo Campbell
Publishing Year: 2011
Once Upon A River by Bonnie Jo Campbell is set in the 1970s and the protagonist in the story is a 15-year-old girl named Margo Crane. The Michigan based girl is determined to find her mother and therefore she sets out the boat to go on a quest to find her wayward mother. The father of the girl is already killed and she will have to find her mother for survival.
Margo is a strong female protagonist in the books who is ready to do whatever it takes to survive the extremities during her quest. The author has beautifully explained the inner thoughts of Margo when she struggles for survival.
10. The Wildlands
Author: Abby Geni
Publishing Year: 2018
The award-winning novel by the author is the story of the family of Orphans. The interest of this family has always been leaned towards the nature. When one day a tornado killed the father of the family in Oklahoma, the lives of others in the family are turned upside down. Darlene who is the eldest of all has to cancel her plan of going to college and earn for her family and feed her three younger siblings.
The sad story of this family made it to the news and soon they were all over the media. Darlene agrees to do any media interview that pays her to earn something for her family and soon they are referred to as the ‘saddest family in Mercy, Oklahoma’.
What follows later is chaos when her sibling grows up. The youngest sister in the family goes missing and the reason behind this is said to be an environmental vigilante. The moving story with an element of surprise discusses the connection of humanity with the outer world as similar to the novel, Where the Crawdads Sing.
Conclusion
There are numerous books that made history with their excellence and Where the Crawdads Sing is one of them. There is a reason why these books are remembered and praised on a national and international level. The amazing writing style of the writer, the presence of various literary elements, the characterization, plot, and finally the ending has to perfect in order to make the perfect book and brilliant authors know how to do it perfectly.
Delia Owen’s International bestseller has not only inspired other authors to produce work in a similar genre and round the same theme but it has also inspired the readers to read similar stories and develop a keen interest in them. The above-mentioned books are one of the greatest works written in the same genre and theme and you will definitely enjoy reading them if you liked Where the Crawdads Sing.
If you have read any other books that are similar to the book which is not in the list you can mention them in the comment section below. Also, your queries, suggestions, and feedbacks all are welcome here.
