This book was a magical reading experience. I read it in audiobook form over the course of 3 weeks in tiny chunks, and this greatly enhanced the life-spanning, descriptive writing Delia Owens puts on display.
The biggest problem(s) happens right in the last few pages: Tate and Kya’s love story is one thing. It wrapped up with much too little exploration; it’s basically just “and they lived happily ever after.” After an entire book of building up beautiful chemistry they should have had more time than that on page. BUT even worse than that was the fact that after Kya died at age 64, it was revealed that she DID kill Chase. This takes away a lot of the story for me retroactively.
When she was first accused of the murder, locked up, and taken from the only home she ever knew, I felt so sorry for her. We watched her over the course of her entire life be left and discarded by every single person and creature she’s ever known, except the marsh, and then that was taken away. THEN we watch everybody who’s ever loved her go through hell because of the trial, which itself takes up a sizeable portion of the book. We hear testimony after testimony, watch her lawyer (who came out of retirement) fight for her freedom and try to right the wrongs of the community, and the whole time are being showed what an emotional tole this is taking on Kya and are set up to feel bad for her.
The revelation that she is the murderer cheapens all of this. All of her suffering was self inflicted and deserved. She caused her friends and family immense suffering. We shouldn’t feel bad for her. All of the lawyers appeals to justice and the town’s lifetime of prejudice are effectively meaningless because she is exactly what the community fears: an outsider whose values and methods of enacting her will are alien and dangerous.
Chase was a scumbag sack of garbage, and I don’t necessarily feel bad for what happened to him, but murder is wrong. And Kya was wrong for doing so. I don’t really feel bad for her anymore. I’m not sure who I was rooting for the whole time. Maybe that’s the point? But that seems like it goes against the whole purpose of the book until that revelation happened in the last 3 pages.
by honey5555
36 Comments
This is what that revelation was supposed to do to you.
The way society treat Kya and the way she was discarded is what allowed Chase to so easily feel justified in his mistreatment of her; a chain of events. Therefore her suffering wasn’t entirely self inflicted, as throughout her entire life she suffered at the hands of others, which finally she acted upon. She was brought up being treated like an outsider and eventually she acted like one, committing murder in an act of retaliation. However, I do think it’s interesting to note how each person feels about her after the revelation and I think there are no right or wrong answers when looking at this.
Also totally agree that their love was wrapped up so quickly. I was left a bit un satisfied with how quickly it jumped from her story to the very end.
Hope this helps 🙂
It’s amazing how easily we are swayed to condone murder. The ending definitely ruined the book for me.
Try to remember back in that day women who were rich and well stationed weren’t believed easily when rape or mistreatment happened. For her, she would never been believed. He would have terrorized her and most certainly taken it too far one day and killed her. She also would not have received any sort of fair justice at the trial of she was honest. The justice system failed her, the towns people failed her, she only had herself to protect her and she did what she needed to do save herself.
Complete opposite for me. The book went from fine to very good with the reveal at the end
She lived by the law of nature. She studies how animals and insects interact and that’s her world. She did what she needed to to survive (without being in constant fear of being raped with no help). The story of the female insect killing the male is brought up a few times to show this. She grew up with the laws of nature, no the laws humans made.
It sounds like you simultaneously don’t like the fairytale ending but also don’t like the fact that the world isn’t a nice place and people often aren’t as innocent as they seem.
I didn’t love this book. I was liking it for until it randomly became a courtroom drama over halfway through. I pretty much figured she killed Chase, it makes all the work her defense lawyer did make sense. She would have been the only one who knew that rip tide. What I hated about the ending was the abrupt 45 year skip. And finding out her man hated her secret poetry writing 😂
I think you are having the reaction that the author intended. I loved the Kya character and her killing Chase didn’t change that.
I thought it was super clear that she committed the murder from long before the end of the book. I didn’t think of the ending as a big revelation at all. During the trial, her internal monologue all but confirms it.
I mean to be honest she was white trash and he was privileged. When a human acts like an animal, you have no other options but to become a predator or prey. For me, after reading Dan Brown’s novels I knew she had to be the killer. But this was a good book, especially Kiya’s and Jumpin’s conversation which to me were so wholesome and her story also motivated me especially to see someone who came from a white trash background to achieving so much in her life.
It did ruin it for me… apologies all round. Everyone raves about this book and I’m like ‘meh’.
I would agree that the love story was wrapped up too quickly and neatly. Reminiscent of a fairy tale in a way that is perhaps nostalgic but also unrealistic.
My opinion differs when it comes to Kya’s killing of Chase. While it saddened me, I found it a fitting action for Kya’s character. You have to remember that Kya was raised essentially be herself (and the natural world) from a young age. Kya was an observer of nature (and an amateur scientist) as a child, and her limited experience with human nature did not redeem her view of the world. With the way Kya was (not) nurtured, and for the way in which society and mankind cast her aside, I found her actions consistent with her character. Perhaps all of our natures, deep down, are more dark than we realize.
Man, I haven’t read the book but this sounds amazing.
Having her do no wrong would not offer much insight, but the irony that while her suffering during the trial is symbolic of her unfair treatment throughout she is actual at fault proves so much about wishing something into existence and holding out until the moral high ground is lost.
It is complicated, frustrating, and insightful. Having her be a helpless victim would just be conformation bias for people who want to be given the right answer on a plate.
At first I didn’t like the ending but after digesting the book for a few weeks it made more sense.
I mean I am still disappointed that the lawyer, Tate etc. stood up for her (whether they knew she was guilty or not), it just tarnished their characters alot. They genuinely were beautiful souls.
Also, It was a bit farfetched I have to admit that she was able to plan and get away with murder
Kay was in a dangerous position where her life was on the line. Chase was not going to stop. No one would have done anything about Chase.
One of my questions at the end of the book was, was Chase still in love with Kay? Feels like he feels like a coward for not being able to openly commit to her and thats why he heavily intoxicated himself before seeing her that one time.
I don’t really get the fuss about this book. I know a lot of people felt it kept them guessing but it was totally lost on me. I thought it was obvious she killed him and whilst I felt sorry for her childhood, it didn’t negate anything else she did. I found the whole thing quite boring. Amazed they made it into a movie.
I don’t get why she says she’s not gonna confess to something she didn’t do…but she did do it! She won’t take the plea deal and basically says she wont confess to something she didn’t do. Why add this detail? She’s blatantly lying. She could have said some other reason she wasn’t going to take the deal and wanted to go through with the trial.
He would have killed her eventually. Perhaps not intentionally, but eventually. I felt extreme anxiety during the hiding chapters, living in a place with no neighbors, no support, no technology and no safety net. Panic was washing over me and I was just reading a story.
I know what you mean though, the contrast seems a bit harsh. Kya, a gentle loving soul seeking freedom vs Kya the murderer. She had to do it to survive though.
from my perspective: like the bugs, chase is the “un-evolved male” in the story. he uses material things like his fancy boat to get girls, but it’s deceptive and deep down he is much worse. there’s no doubt in my mind he would continue abusing women throughout his life. after she is attacked by him, kya has some understanding of why her mother left to escape the abuse and lies from her father. chase isn’t much different from how her father treated her mother as he told her a bunch of lies as well. by killing him, she is ending the toxic cycle of chase continuing to abuse women and preventing him from creating a broken family not much different from the one kya came from. after all, by nature’s law, he is the unfit male.
Does the book say how she did it? I just saw the movie and is trying to piece how she could’ve done it. My theory goes something like this….The murder was premeditated days before the murder. She was planning on killing Chase the night Tate came over and told her to go to the publishers meeting. She had a rock in her hand and was possibly planning on striking Chase to death somehow if he showed up. We then see her in the next scene talking to the store keep saying that she’s leaving in a few days and that she’ll let him know when she gets back. Then she supposedly went to the publishers meeting. But what I think she did was before she left she set up and planned out how she was going to do it. When she first went up in the watchtower with Chase we see him nudge the grate door closed, but when he’s dead the grate isn’t there. So before she left she removed the grate. Then had to at some time invite Chase the tower, possibly before she left setting up a date with him. Saying that she wants to make up and that she’s ok with his engagement and that she want to meet with him there around 2am (after all he snuck out before to see her late at night). I like to think she lured him there by saying something like she needs hims and want to be with him and wants to have sex (just like some insects lures in their mate then kills them as she says about the fireflies while at the publishes meeting) She could’ve said she wants him but has to go the publisher meeting so she can make money for them but can’t wait for the whole time so she will meet him in secret where she first fell in love with him. Then when he arrived she gave him a push possibly as I said while seducing him. This is why she planned to be at the closest hotel to the bus station because she didn’t have a lot of time to pull it off. And why she chose to talk about the fireflies at the publishers meeting. Because she was inspired by how nature deals with problems. Then took back the shell necklace perhaps as a reminder to not put back down from a threat like him again. Also she’s said something about how that kind of shell is rare to be found that far north, its usually found where the waters are warmer. Almost as a reflection of her, because most people don’t live in the marsh but this is her home and although normally perhaps people shouldn’t live there she does and will fight to stay. Just like how animals wont abandon and chased out of their territory but rather fight to the death to defend it. What do you guys think?
In the real world, people raised in the mores of society often kill for selfish reasons. Kya only did what she did to protect herself and she justifies it with the laws of Nature.
I went through all of these same thoughts right after I finished the book. The ending was so troubling to me that I had to have discussions with others who’d read the book to try and make sense of it. I listened to and pondered others’ thoughts on it.
I eventually decided it’s not as black and white as it initially seemed to be, especially taking into account the time and place the story occurs. Kya felt threatened. Would Chase have come back to attack her again, and possibly kill her in rage and humiliation for rejecting him? It’s highly possible he would have. Maybe Chase would’ve let it go and moved on without retaliation but it seemed unlikely given his personality. If Chase had gone after Kya again, she would’ve found no protection or justice from the legal system of that time period, as others have pointed out in their comments. So, it was basically preemptive self-defense. I still don’t like it, but given how society functioned at the time, I can buy that she saw it as self-defense.
Yeah, theoretically she could’ve moved, but why should she have to? The victim shouldn’t have to leave the only home they know while the aggressor gets to stay and live their life undisturbed. That just further punishes the victim and rewards the aggressor.
I also would’ve liked to have read more about Tate and Kya’s life together after all the hardships they endured and maturity issues they overcame to finally truly be together.
I absolutely LOVED the story & the ending. And hello? Nobody has mentioned the haunting, shivery “Carolina” by Taylor Swift played over the closing credits. Honestly, Kya had no choice to do anything but what she did. She just did what she needed to do to survive. The end.
The guy beat her and raped her, and made it clear he wouldn’t stop.
So you must also feel sorry for any sex offenders/rapists/abusers whose ever been murdered BECAUSE of being those things. He got what he deserved. He would have killed her if she didn’t kill him and the town and police would sided with him regardless.
It seems like you’re looking for a classic tale of “good guy vs. bad guy.” In reality, Kya’s abuse at the hands of her father (and witnessing his abuse of her mother) ultimately led her to understand that abusive men can’t be fixed. After he raped her, she knew that from her position as the marsh girl, in the eyes of the community, would mean that there was no proper course of social or legal action to take to prevent her from being raped multiple times over and likely killed. She was in a desperate spot with a unique vantage point, and facing in her view a life or death situation. Fight or flight. And we know that leaving was not an option that she considers viable; she is fiercely committed to standing her ground on the marsh that she called home. This was a major theme.
This is what complex characters are: not one thing. Not reductive. The tale is a tragedy on multiple levels. That’s the point.
So I haven’t read the book, but I just finished watching the movie and was looking up an explanation for the ending as I was confused at first and stumbled on here. I’m not trying to discuss the movie too much on r/books lol, but I did feel a bit disappointed she turned out to be the actual murderer. Don’t get me wrong I loved everything about the plot and am glad that’s how the story ended! Idk why but my original thought about how chase died was that he was just being a drunk idiot and fell off the tower. There’s something about him getting his comeuppance through his own dumb actions and how sometimes there’s no explanation to why a death like that happens would have been a cool way to tie everything together. Either way it was a great movie and am much more convinced to read the book now
Omg, you will be even more disturbed when you discover that this book might be a murder confession of the Author herself. It happened in Zambia (allegedly) , and now the case is re-opened.
I know i’m late and it might have already been said, but she lived by the laws of nature. Many animals don’t really tend to just leave when something threatens their territory/well-being, they’ll be willing to fight for it. Chase was a predator to her, so she did what was necessary to protect herself and her territory after being backed into a corner. Also kind of like how females tend to eat the males, except she just killed him. You’re not entirely wrong about the whole lying part, but I don’t think it cheapens the plot. If anything, it pushes it forward considering Kya is just another animal living in the marsh.
And about telling other people, she’d be completely ignored. She already had a negative stigma, so the police would either assume she’s lying about Chase’s harassment or she was trying to get something out of him. As for Jumpin’ or Tate, it would be 1 of 2 outcomes: they get ignored as well, or they just murder Chase. You’ve got to remember he’s one of the most well respected people in Barkley, so accusing him of something like rape/harassment is not so easy, especially considering who the victim is. And for either one of them killing Chase, I don’t think it would have done anything really interesting to further the plot besides having him gone, going back to the whole laws of nature thing.
I believe murder is justifiable by being raped alone. But also he physically and emotionally abused her. Lied about having a fiancé?? Ransacked her home and destroyed things, hunted her down at night… yeah, he had to go.
I thought it was obvious she murdered him based solely on the timeline of the red hat. She got the hat from Tate after the attempted rape but before the murder. The book didn’t document any other interactions between Kya and Chase between those two time points, so the only logical time those fibres could’ve gotten on Chase’s jacket was the night he died.
In any case, I agree the rushed ending was a cop out. Needed more time for Tate and Kya’S love story, and would’ve liked to get a flashback to the night of the murder.
I don’t think so. I think it strengthened her character.
Her story was one of using the wits Swamp life taught her, to survive.
When a predator is after you, it won’t stop. Especially if driven by a mind & will that humans are endowed with.
Kill or be killed, is the only law in the wilderness.
She did what she had to. If she’d reported the most popular boy in town, the Sheriff wouldnt have believed her, even if he secretly did know she’s telling the truth.
I think it should have been left open ended.
It kinda proved all the people who judged her, right.
I’m glad she murdered him, he deserved it. It’s survival of the fittest and it was her or him. She made the right choice choosing to live. If anything I have more respect for her for fighting back than taking the abuse from a man!
I think this has to be why when they made the film, they made up more scenes of Chase and his abusive personality. Because in the book, it seemed to be too much of an extreme for Kya to kill him. So the movie gave more reason to believe that Kya was more justified in doing what she did.
how the hell did she manage to kill him? Jesus, it makes NO LOGISTICAL SENSE