Where the Crawdads Sing: Why The Bestseller Is So Controversial

glamour.com:

Where the Crawdads Sing seems like a middling but innocent adaptation of a best-selling novel: It stars rising talent (), was produced by , and features an original song by Taylor Swift.

As of January 2022, the book sold , making it one of the best-selling books of all time. Ahead of the July 15 premiere of the film adaptation, however, Where the Crawdads Sing author Delia Owen's past has come to light—or, more accurately, has come back to haunt her. (Spoilers ahead for the book and movie)The novel follows Kya, a young girl who lives alone in North Carolina marshland after her family abandons her, and who is later ostracized by the local community.

The story takes place in two timelines: Kya's childhood, and the present, where she is on trial for the murder of the town's star football player.

The action plays out over the course of the ‘50s and ’60s.It's a juicy concept for a best-seller, but it gets eerie the more you learn about Owens, who is still wanted for questioning regarding a murder that occurred in Zambia in 1995.