Warning: This article contains spoilers for Where the Crawdads Sing.The Where The Crawdads Sing true story is different from the movie, but its real-life inspiration is too similar to ignore. The unseen gem of 2022 is an adaptation of Delia Owens’ best-selling 2018 novel of the same name, where protagonist Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is accused of killing her abusive ex-boyfriend, Chase Andrews. Where The Crawdads Sing may have more of a connection to Owens’ real life than it first seems. Kya is a young girl living in the North Carolina marshland, who is forced to raise herself from a young age. Although she is completely ostracized by the town, she gains the attention of two men, Tate and Chase.
After Chase dies, Kya is accused of murder, but Where The Crawdads Sing ends with Kya being found not guilty. While Kya wasn’t innocent in reality, it’s hard not to root for her after everything Chase did. Where The Crawdads Sing weaves a complicated story that may be tied to author Delia Owens’ real life. Much like Kya, Owens is an author who took a tragedy and made it into something larger than herself. Though not imperative to a viewing of the movie, the true story that seemingly inspired Where The Crawdads Sing does add another layer to the plot.
Is Where The Crawdads Sing Based On A True Story?
The Where The Crawdads Sing book and movie do not seem to be overtly based on true events, therefore the answer to “is Where the Crawdads Sing a true story?” is “sort of.” There does not appear to be a woman in any public records who, like the character in Where The Crawdads Sing, lived in a marsh by herself and was found not guilty of killing a man — but there are connections to Owens’ past. Before she became an author, Delia Owens and her then-husband, Mark, worked as conservationists in Africa. Delia’s stepson and Mark’s son, Chris, also lived with them in Africa.
Their work focused on saving elephants from poachers in Zambia and, at the time, they were part of an ABC special documentary that followed their conservation efforts. The documentary titled Deadly Game: The Mark and Delia Owens Story, captured Mark on camera instructing scouts to shoot poachers who came into the national park. This could be part of the Where the Crawdads Sing true story, as the conservation efforts turned a documentary into a true-crime investigation when an alleged poacher was shot and killed after entering a campsite. After the episode aired, the Zambian government opened a still-unresolved homicide investigation.
Subsequent investigations found their son, Chris, had allegedly fired two of the three shots at the presumed poacher, but the entire family denied involvement in the shooting. In fact, Delia claimed that Chris wasn’t actually in the camp at the time, but was mistaken for a camera operator of the same name, Chris Everson. Everson claims Mark had flown both himself, Chris Owens, and another scout to the site, and Mark left them. Everson alleged that when the poacher arrived, Chris Owens fired a shot. Everson caught on camera the scout firing a second shot, then Owens firing a third. Footage disappeared from the tent one day, only to reappear later.
Where The Crawdads Sing Real-Life Inspiration Explained
There are elements of the Where the Crawdads Sing true story that suggest it was inspired by the real-life tragedy. In the book and movie, the audience is meant to side with Kya because of her motivations. Though not the same scenario, suggesting it isn’t related to the real story of Where the Crawdads Sing, a nameless poacher intent on harming animals in a national park being found dead could be seen as justified by some in order to protect the animals. If Chris did theoretically shoot the poacher, he also got away with it.
Much like Kya left a note that proved her guilt, Mark also supposedly left a note, chronicled in the documentary, in which he said, “Two poachers have been killed and one wounded… we are just getting warmed up.” Authors, like Delia Owens, often draw upon personal experiences when they write, so it is also possible that the Where The Crawdads Sing true story is technically based upon the mysterious death of the poacher, whether her family was actually involved or not. When looking at it in this light, Where the Crawdads Sing is a true story then, though not when it comes down to the nitty-gritty of the narrative.
What Where The Crawdad Sings Got Right: Animal Conservation Can Be Violent
Since the controversial Where the Crawdads Sing true story is probably based on this violent animal conservationist incident, it’s worth noting that animal conservation has turned into a bloody business over the years. While it may not be prevalent in the U.S., protections against poachers have evolved into military tactics as the problem has gotten out of hand. According to Smithsonian, former Israeli commando Nir Kalron has been selling his military techniques to conservationists all across Africa to fight against poachers.
Modern poaching is a highly organized criminal enterprise, and animal conservationists have had to get creative to keep their animals safe from harm — unfortunately, that means escalating to military tactics. Poachers killed a whopping 100,000 elephants between 2010 and 2012, and it’s also worth noting that poaching operations are often tied to other criminal enterprises. While military measures may seem extreme on the surface, and to some, it’s strange that Where the Crawdads Sing is based on a true story about a violent incident regarding animal conservation, but a deeper look into the true story brings it into context.
What Inspired Delia Owens When Writing The Book Where The Crawdads Sing Is Based On
While the Where the Crawdads Sing true story is highly different from what’s portrayed in the novel and the film, writer Delia Owens used this story coupled with her life experiences to come up with Kya’s haunting tale. In an interview with BookBrowse, Owens opened up about the creation of Where the Crawdads Sing and what elements were drawn from her personal life. A surprising amount of the story, setting, themes, and characters have all been dictated by Owens’ personal experiences with everything from the North Carolina marsh (which is a character in its own right) to Kya’s flaws from living in isolation finding a root in Owens’ encounters.
When asked why a coastal marsh was chosen for the setting, Owens explained the importance of nature within the overall story as it basically became Kya’s parent after her mother died, and she remarks that there truly is no greater teacher than nature itself. However, in terms of the setting, Owens stated that she chose the marsh because she’s familiar with it. “I chose the coastal marsh because I was somewhat familiar with it and knew other marshes and swamps of the southern states very well. When I was girl, I went canoe camping with my mother in the Okefenokee Swamp and other wild places,” Owens said.
Owens’ time as a researcher in remote areas in Africa also informed Kya’s character experiences as she grew up in isolation. In this way, the Where the Crawdads Sing true story holds up a mirror to Owens’ encounters. Owens states that much of her adult life was spent in complete isolation, between living in the Kalahari Desert for seven years and having her own camp in Luangwa. “I know what it is like to be alone. […] I know how isolation can make you feel insecure and inadequate. What it is like to avoid people when you go to town because you don’t belong,” Owens said.
Some Elements Of The Where The Crawdads Sing Story Caused Controversy
Like the Where the Crawdads Sing true story itself, there are a fair few controversies surrounding the book/movie and the author herself. The incident featured in Deadly Game: The Mark and Delia Owens Story brought nothing but problems for the family, and it certainly didn’t help that Owens put a murder trial in her story, during which the main character was guilty of the murder but subsequently was acquitted. There are parallels between Kya’s crime and that of her husband and stepson Mark and Chris, in that both the victims were responsible for reprehensible actions. Nevertheless, murder is obviously never the answer.
However, there are parts of the case and the Where the Crawdads Sing true story that are more sinister than initially let on, and the parallels between Kya and Owens don’t help her culpability in the matter. The Mark and Delia Owens story led to a Zambian police investigation and Mark Owens was reportedly involved with a small militia of game scouts that performed a militarized takeover of the conservation area (via IndieWire). Mark has also been accused of setting an air raid against poachers in the camp, while Chris Owens was alleged to have beaten the game scouts as a form of control.
In addition to the Where the Crawdads Sing true story controversy, the novel’s depiction of Black people has drawn the ire of critics. There are two central Black characters, Jumpin’ and Mabel, who at times act like surrogate parents to Kya. Unfortunately, their dialogue is written phonetically and their characters, at times, propagate harmful racial stereotypes. In addition, Delia and Mark Owens’ book Secrets of the Human Savannah proposes that Africa needs to control its human population.
