Where the Crawdads Sing

It’s been a year since Chase and Kya started seeing each other. These days, Chase makes casual references to what life will be like when they’re married and live together. He says they shouldn’t live in the center of town because that would be too much of a change for Kya, adding that they could perhaps build a house somewhere close to the marsh. When he talks like this, Kya is overwhelmed that he wants her to be part of his life. Though Chase hasn’t actually asked Kya to marry him, the way he talks about the future gives her the impression that he takes it for granted that they will soon become husband and wife. However, she isn’t positive that she loves him enough to be his wife, but pushes this out of her mind because their relationship at least feels like it has love in it.

Chase tells Kya that he needs to go to Asheville to buy supplies for Western Auto, the store in which he works and which his parents own. He suggests that Kya should come with him, since it would be a good opportunity to get out of the marsh for a change and experience the outside world. She would, Chase tells her, be able to see a number of mountain ranges on the way, and it’s a good idea for her to start getting used to public life if they’re going to get married. Just after Kya agrees, Chase tells her that they’ll have to stay in a hotel overnight, and though this gives her pause, she doesn’t change her mind.

When Kya and Chase open the door to the hotel in Asheville, Kya immediately understands that he brought her there to have sex. Turning to her, he says, “It’s time, don’t you agree, Kya? It’s time.” Her body, she notes, has wanted to do this for a long time, so she decides to go along with what Chase wants, especially since he has been talking so much about marrying her. Accordingly, they have sex for the first time. Kya experiences nothing but discomfort, though this doesn’t bother Chase, who rolls off her with a smile and falls asleep.

For the next few weeks, Kya and Chase continue to have sex, but Kya’s experience doesn’t improve. As Christmas approaches, Kya asks if she can spend the holiday with Chase’s family, but he insists that she wouldn’t want to do this, since his relatives are so boring. When she points out that she needs to start integrating into his life outside the marsh, he tells her that what they have is better than everything that exists in town. Everything else, Chase says, is stupid and fake. Saying this, he kisses Kya before leaving, and she spends yet another Christmas alone.

In the days following Christmas, Chase doesn’t return to the marsh. This infuriates Kya, who hates waiting for him. Finally, she hears a boat four days after Christmas and thinks he has finally come to see her. When she runs out to see, though, she comes face to face with Tate, who is steadily approaching in his boat. At first, Kya wants to run away, but then she tells herself that this area belongs to her and that she should stand her ground, so she starts hurling rocks at Tate, telling him to get away from her. While he pleads and asks if they can just talk a little bit, she continues to berate him. Still, he tells Kya that he knows she’s with Chase and that he’s sorry.

When Kya calms down, Tate tells her that Chase often sees other women in town. Going on, he says that he even saw Chase go home with another woman after a party several nights ago. For this reason, Tate insists that Chase isn’t good enough for Kya, but this comment enrages her. She reminds Tate that he’s the one who broke his promise and abandoned her. Whatever Chase has done, at least he didn’t leave her without a word. Accepting this, Tate says that Kya is right, adding that her relationship with Chase is none of his business. He also says that he’ll never bother her again, but that he just wants to apologize and explain himself, since he has spent the past few years regretting that he left her.

Giving her a rare feather, Tate tells Kya that he was wrong to leave her and that he thinks about her every day. Abandoning her was the worst mistake of his life, he says. When Tate finishes, Kya says nothing, but this doesn’t bother him because he simply felt that he needed to tell her how he felt. Then, to break the ensuing silence, he informs her that he’s now a graduate student in protozoology. Still, Kya doesn’t respond, instead looking behind him to see if Chase is coming. This causes Tate to recall the fact that he saw Chase the week before at a local dance. Chase was dancing with another girl before taking a break to stand with some friends. As Chase stood there, Tate overheard him talking about Kya, calling her a “she-fox” and bragging about how “wild” she is.

Tate asks if he can come to Kya’s shack to see her collection of feathers and shells. Instead of answering, Kya turns around and leaves, so Tate follows. When he sets eyes on the collection, he sees that it has grown magnificently, each specimen perfectly labeled and painted. Marveling, he tells her that she could publish multiple books with these illustrations, since scientific books documenting this aspect of the area are in demand. Because of this, Kya lets Tate take a sample to show to publishers, since he tells her that it could be a good way to make money without having to stop doing what she loves. Before Tate leaves, he touches Kya’s shoulder and asks if she can forgive him, but she tells him she doesn’t know how. Thanking her for listening, then, Tate leaves.