Where the Crawdads Sing
discussion
Spoilers - please join after you've read!
I just finished the book today and I loved it! I have a question. As the reader, we knew Kya got the hat from Tate not too long before the murder, and that it was at her house. So how could anyone have doubted that it was her? I mean us, the readers. Not the jury in the book, as they thought she had the hat for years. Wasn't that a total giveaway? Unfortunately, I read a review about the book somewhere else, and found out Kya was the one who murdered Chase. So I am not sure what my own thought process would have been.
There was just something so beautiful about this book. In response to the issues of why did Tate always wear the necklace and why did Kya take it back: I felt that Chase enjoyed having a piece of Kya with him all of the time. It reminded him of the passion he enjoyed whenever he wanted to be with her and was his own personal secret way of having her near him in a socially acceptable way, since he could not (would not) bring her into his life. I felt that Kya took the necklace back for the same reason - he could not have her without her permission and she was taking back that part of her that he could never really have.
It’s disappointing and somewhat disturbing how Kya methodically planned the murder. Does anyone else feel that this undermines her respect for life? The argument of revenge and justice falls short, considering how her character was built to initiate reader sympathy. She comes off as disturbed as the mother, seeking self-preservation over proactive protection. The book’s ending, as a result, seemed contrived and too much of a character change. Really? Was she capable of pulling off those disguises and making that time table work so well?
I agree with you completely Cricket. It's mind boggling that we are meant to be feeling bad for this poor girl going through this ordeal at court when the reality is she is a cold blooded killer who is content to say nothing and hide the truth. She gets off with zero consequences and we are meant to cheer for her? Ha.The only other side of it is that we are meant to understand that she was COMPELLED to do it because Chase kept hounding her but it's not like that is really a valid grounds for meticulously planning out someone's death... a feel like a something more fitting would be leaving the swamp behind and moving far away
I think that what Tate says about Kya's poetry at the end of the book is telling.He says that he didn't think the poetry was that good. Perhaps that ties in with his realization that Kya was not as good a person as he thought she was, either..
"Anyone else find that by keeping the necklace, it made Kya just as creepy as Chase was for keeping it?"I thought she kept it just because it was a rare and beautiful shell and she probably wanted it herself although she had to hide it.
As many of you, I did thought during the book that she could have done it. She was a pretty smart girl after all so I'm not surprised that she planned everything. I just couldn't think it was possible that she would have sacrifice a life in the marsh and risk to go to prison, knowing how much she was bound to it, nature and birds etc...
She never really pass from cool to uncool for me or I didn't think it was out of character. As a little girl we loved her because of her innocence but as she grown up she has to defend her self, mentally and physically. She has also seen lots of violence around her (her dad) and she has a connection with nature (which as beautiful as it is, it's often wild and makes not a big issue about death).
I still have a small, absurd doubt that maybe Tate did it, not just for the hat fibres. She might have found the shell at Tate's and kept it hidden all the time to not risk to lose him, like "I know what you did but I won't tell anyone, not even you". What makes me think this is her reaction when she sees the police going to Tate. It was for Scupper but her reaction was tell herself something like "So it was him that killed Chase?". I don't know, it's a long shot XD
The Best Mystery Book I have read!!!!!!!! I at one time thought Jumper's had killed Chase. He did ask Kya how she got her face bruised and she told him Chase. I would love if they made a movie. Awesome. !!!!!!
I loved this book so so much - my top read of the year so far (haven't had a chance to type up a review yet but definitely will soon) and I loved the reveal of Kya being the killer as it was so unexpected. But I agree with some of the other comments that the ending did feel a bit rushed. To have such a gorgeous, richly detailed story to have the ending wound up so quickly was a bit of a disappointment. But I still adored the book and loved absolutely everything else about it so I can forgive the rushed ending.
Kya and the Marsh were one and inseparable. Chase was going to seek revenge toward Kya so she had to outsmart him. Reporting him was not an option in her mind since she was the outsider but then when you consider that the jury acquitted her, it turned out to be an unnecessary act of self defense. The missing necklace and the poem gave it away but then the author cleverly distracted you until the very end when you realized the murder had not been solved and then the revelation was made.
I didn't necessarily underestimate Kya's ability to kill Chase. She was always interested in insects, and how it was natural for the females to kill their mates. Also, although she was painted as tender and tended to be the victim, her rough upbringing unfortunately reared her in this way.
I think she said i wont admit guilt. He kept the necklace. And she also thought back to him reading her diary as he would touch her drawings I felt Tate was a little cheated his whole life. He Maybe coulda had a family with someone else
I was so entrenched in her vitality, vulnerability, work that I later forgot she murders. It was an after thought to me. "Oh yeah, she did it."
Eshalla wrote: "Thomas wrote: "Yeah, there was a nuance to Chase keeping that shell that I wish would have been examined a bit more. I think it would too easy to say that he kept it purely as a trophy when the ide..."There are a few scenes in the book where Chase and his friends discus his sexual adventures with Aya, all bragging. Also he led her on.talking to her about marraige. He lied and led her on. Trophy all the way imho..
Debi wrote: "Kristina wrote: "That's interesting. I didn't think of it that way at all. In my mind, when Kya took the necklace back she was taking back..."Hi Kristina and thank you for your thoughts. I figure..."
I see Kya's actions as not so surprising due to her life of physical and emotional abuse and abandonment. Survivors of abuse exhibit many similiar behaviors. It is a wonder Kya didn't kill off a few more townspeople.
Thomas, Chase did more than hound her. He beat her and would have raped her. He even stalked her to try to finish the job.
Thomas wrote: "I thought she did it as well at first but then I was convinced it was Tate because of the details in the court were a bit far-fetched to attribute them to Kya. The idea that she would meticulously ..."I completely agree with you.
I really liked this book but I wasn't too sure about the ending. Although I hated Chase, I think that Kya killing him (unless it was in self defence) was wrong and doesn't make her any better than him and shows how primitive she is. I don't want to believe that Kya killed Chase because I don't think that she would have been that calculating to plan a murder. It's a shame that there wasn't a chapter about what really happened to Chase. I just felt that the ending ruined it for me. I want to believe that Kya killed Chase in self-defence or that he got drunk, went looking for Kya, climbed the tower and fell.
Monica wrote: "I want to believe that Kya killed Chase in self-defence or that he got drunk, went looking for Kya, climbed the tower and fell.."That would have been a nicer way to deal with it. It's way more believable that something like that could happen and it ties in more with Kya and the themes in the book. It would be a way better reason why she refused to say anything because she knew the people in court already made up their mind about her and wouldn't believe what she had to say anyway.
The reality that she was keeping quiet because she was actually a murderer is still hilarious looking back at the book.
I still can't quite understand the ending of this book because it tars the rest of the book that I really like. I just don't get why the author thought it was necessary to have a murder mystery sub plot let alone reveal that the protagonist that you have been empathising with the past 300 or so pages is actually a cold blooded killer
Thomas wrote: "Monica wrote: "I want to believe that Kya killed Chase in self-defence or that he got drunk, went looking for Kya, climbed the tower and fell.."That would have been a nicer way to deal with it. I..."
Agree!!!
Thomas wrote: "I thought she did it as well at first but then I was convinced it was Tate because of the details in the court were a bit far-fetched to attribute them to Kya. The idea that she would meticulously ..."My problem exactly.
Francesca wrote: "When Tate gave her the red ski hat I thought FOR SURE Tate had killed Chase..."I thought the exact same thing, then along the ride I am like Tate did it!
I thought it was Tate all along, for the fact while in jail she was very calm as if part of her knew she would be free- she became very dark but I can see how she was taking back what she gave Chase
I could tell Kya was gonna do it when she kept getting her heart broken and kept getting let down by everyone. It was so sad.... they had me yelling at the book lol.
At first, it was surprising to me that Kya had murdered Chase, but then I went back to chapter 57 and found the part where she is walking along the beach “Feeling the connections.”
This part explains how isolation had altered her behavior. “Nature had nurtured, tutored, and protected her when no one else would. If consequences resulted from her behaving differently, then they too were functions of life’s fundamental core.”
The next paragraph goes on to explain how Tate’s love taught her that human love was different from what nature had taught her. “....human love is more than bizarre mating competitions of the marsh creatures, but life taught her that ancient genes for survival still persist Some undesirable forms among the twists and turns of man’s genetic code.”
To some, Kya comes off as a cold blooded murderer. But she was raised by nature. This part of the book explains perfectly that she was different due to isolation, and not having connections. She was imitating what she saw in nature when female insects would kill their lovers. It’s not “murder”in the insect world. It’s nature. It’s survival. Nature was her “mother” because all humans had abandoned her. And that’s all Kya knew until she was connected to Tate. And even Tate had abandoned her at one point.
How can we expect Kya to understand the difference between murder and survival, or to have compassion when humans did not have any compassion for her?
This part explains how isolation had altered her behavior. “Nature had nurtured, tutored, and protected her when no one else would. If consequences resulted from her behaving differently, then they too were functions of life’s fundamental core.”
The next paragraph goes on to explain how Tate’s love taught her that human love was different from what nature had taught her. “....human love is more than bizarre mating competitions of the marsh creatures, but life taught her that ancient genes for survival still persist Some undesirable forms among the twists and turns of man’s genetic code.”
To some, Kya comes off as a cold blooded murderer. But she was raised by nature. This part of the book explains perfectly that she was different due to isolation, and not having connections. She was imitating what she saw in nature when female insects would kill their lovers. It’s not “murder”in the insect world. It’s nature. It’s survival. Nature was her “mother” because all humans had abandoned her. And that’s all Kya knew until she was connected to Tate. And even Tate had abandoned her at one point.
How can we expect Kya to understand the difference between murder and survival, or to have compassion when humans did not have any compassion for her?
Deborah wrote: "At first, it was surprising to me that Kya had murdered Chase, but then I went back to chapter 57 and found the part where she is walking along the beach “Feeling the connections.” This part expla..."
Well said!!
Barbara wrote: "The Best Mystery Book I have read!!!!!!!! I at one time thought Jumper's had killed Chase. He did ask Kya how she got her face bruised and she told him Chase. I would love if they made a movie. Awe..."My thoughts too, but then I wondered why Jumpin' did not say he did it after Kya was arrested. I thought he was the kind of guy who loved her enough to do this.
Amazing book. I thought it would be too predictable to be Tate. I thought it was Pearl. I do wish we heard more about Pearl... perhaps pointed suspicion at her? Or to Jodie? Or Chase’s mom? I also wish it was not Kya but feel it was only fitting that it be her given the whole kill your mates after lovemaking thing.
Perhaps those were the obvious hints.
She bit off his head.
I also wondered about the siblings and the pa.
Personally, I was thrown for a loop when I read that Kya was guilty. Looking back, Owens gave us all plenty of clues, and at one point quite literally told us that Kya killed Chase. Some part of me still thought it would be Tate though. When the sheriff came and found him on the lake I thought to myself, "YES! I was right!" Then suddenly you are taken through Tate's personal heartbreak. For me though, I don't think I was as shocked by her being guilty as I was that she was the poet. I'm pretty sure my jaw quite literally dropped to the floor. Although, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised since Kya was able to recall each line so easily. I think the fact that she wrote a poem that metaphorically describes exactly how Chase died was just the icing on the cake for me. It was chilling almost, but not in a creepy way. Mostly, I was just surprised that Owens was able to so easily convince me that she was innocent. The fact that she was indeed guilty just completely changes her entire characterization throughout the book, or at least for me it did, and I think the book analysis part of me loved that the most. The fact that only a few pages can completely alter your view of an entire character is truly amazing.
Hello there, This is my first post, I’m completely in love with this book, its the first time I experienced so many emotions by reading a book and even cried. I have a question to share how to you think Tate felt after discovering his wife’s secret after she died? Finding out that she has kept her biggest and darkest secret from him?
Launa wrote: "Personally, I was thrown for a loop when I read that Kya was guilty. Looking back, Owens gave us all plenty of clues, and at one point quite literally told us that Kya killed Chase. Some part of me..."I've just finished this book and I was completely shocked she was a poet as well! Looking back, it almost makes sense now why she said she "fell in love with the post box" earlier in the novel and would visit it daily.
I was surprised as well at the way Tate's reaction is described.."Tate's face grimaced in disbelief. Through the years she must have put the poems in the rusty mailbox, submitting them to local publications. Safe behind a non de plume." For me grimaced comes across as being disgusted to find out that Kya is the poet. I guess this fits with some readers interpretations that Tate not thinking the poems are very good reflects how he no longer thinks Kya herself is as good a person as he once thought.
From my reading, I think Kya's poetry is emblematic of her desperate longing to be a part of society. Sending the poems to publications gives her an outlet, like talking to someone, but also makes her feel accepted by society. Like when she went to the library in the next town over and comments on how she could just walk around and no one stared at her or singled her out, she was just another person on the sidewalk, part of the group.
Am I the only one who hated the ending?????I thought it would have been so much better if Chase’s wife was murdered.
That it resolves at the end, she died, and one of her children drive to the house because there’s an envelope with Kya’s name on it.
It’s a letter saying she never understood Kya, and how she was jealous of her for taking Chase away from her. And it wasn’t until the trial she appreciated Chase abused Kya like he abused her.
And in the envelope was the necklace.
The book was soooooo predictable. From the moment Chase and Kya met I said (he’s going to try and rape her and she’s going to murder him).
So a twist ending would have been way more powerful.
jazz whatsapp packageThis book has enchanted me and the fact of Kya killing Chase has been very clear to me since she mentions the fireflies and their mating ritual
I so enjoyed this book, and taken with how beautifully written and well constructed it was! The imagery and descriptions of the marsh through words painted such beautiful pictures in my mind!I love reading others' comments on the plot and ending. I have mixed emotions about it. It was hard for me to come to terms with Kya's character (as developed throughout the book) being the one who murdered Chase. On the attempted rape incident, she swears if he ever attacks her again, she will kill him. We learn that he did later come back towards her cottage in his boat again, and she nearly missed him, so certainly she was plagued with worry that it was just a matter of time. However, I would have much preferred Chase to have died by accident (and perhaps for her to have been witness to it even) but NOT for her to have committed the crime. It seems like she had all the opportunities laying there before her to rebuild her relationship with Tate and her history was that she had always been able to find the determination move past various difficult traumas from her past. So I found the notion that she couldn't let the Chase thing go to be a bit out of character for her. It's hard to picture that she plotted and planned to the lengths she did to kill Chase and cover the tracks. I was left with two thoughts circulating in my head:
1. Even with her careful planning of bus routes, motel choice, and disguises, how was she able to convince Chase to be at the fire tower at the EXACT time (to the minute) that he would have had to have been there, in order for her to carry it out and then make the bus ride back to Greenville?
2. In the end, I guess even though I was disappointed that she had stooped to murder to avenge the wrong done to her, I can accept the fact that it can make sense, because she had always operated in and around the laws of nature and independently of everyone else in society. She grew up being at one with nature. She was observant and respectful of all the laws and behaviors IN nature, so I suppose if you consider that those had had the most influence on her, then she was simply moving forward on the impulses of nature to solve her problem.
As I was reading the book, I kept thinking that Tate killed Chase. It made perfect sense - his hat, after all, was the fabric found on Chase's jacket. He also had perfect motive to go through with it.
Thomas wrote: "I thought she did it as well at first but then I was convinced it was Tate because of the details in the court were a bit far-fetched to attribute them to Kya. The idea that she would meticulously ..."I also wanted it to be Chase's wife who did it. I have a whole back-story of her as the abused wife, who seeks the most terrible revenge she can when she discovers her husband not only beat her and cheated on her, but she then took it to the ultimate degree with the rape and assault on Kya, by killing her own husband.
Janne wrote: "Thomas wrote: "I thought she did it as well at first but then I was convinced it was Tate because of the details in the court were a bit far-fetched to attribute them to Kya. The idea that she woul..."Thomas, I love your back story!
Katy wrote: "I felt like it was the juxtaposition of male vs female that defined and drove the plot. Men in the book (for the most part with just a few exceptions) are violent creatures capable of feelings (hen..."I interpret that she didn't have children because she took a life and it was like a punishment from the nature for what she have done.
I really liked all of your comments and I'm not sure how to feel about this book once I've finished it and I was desperate to know why did she do this and I still have so many questions.I find it interesting now when I remember that she said she wasn't going to live like her mother after Chase tried to rape her and maybe that was the moment when she decided what to do.But still I can't understand why she did it on purspose and in cold blood and not feel a remorse.After all she was a human capable of showing emotions and desperate to feel love and being loved.It just really bothers me.And I really didn't like the brother...I couldn't forgive him so easily like her.He had many chances to meet her and so but he didn't.
I was so blown away with this book. I loved the ending. It was perfect. I had anxiety when the court case started but it was all worth it. The way that Tate reacted to the the findings was perfect. He protected her all his life and even after her death.
Claire Walsh wrote: "Hi there This is my first post ever. I wanted to talk to others about this book beacuse I enjoyed it so much. I thought of something when I finished it and I wanted to see if others thought the sa..."
Yes, I noticed this and I found it evermore powerful. I thought back to how I literally never actually thought she did it even though she never denied it? Amazing of Owens to write it in this way.
Just finishing this book for the first time and I have such a feeling of betrayal. Usually even if I read an ending like this and think, “oh I wish it hadn’t turned out that way but I understand the motive of the author and the message this sends.” But I am having trouble appreciating the ending for this what it was here. That being said I loved the whole book - thought for the most part the author was concise when necessary for the plot and elaborated in areas central in developing a rich character development of Kya. But it is precisely that rich development that makes the conclusion that much more unbelievable. Okay I understand the supposed intention of having the ending be what it is but it doesn’t sit right with me. I get she learned her behaviors from the marsh and the creatures within it and that paired with her innate humanity culminated in wanting revenge and wanting to simply enjoy her life again without the breath of her rapist on her back. HOWEVER the root of action was calculated, after the fact and undeniably malicious… not the mention the fact that she saved a token of murder. The entire book you think she is a trusted resource of information which now of course makes so many of her recounts just questionable. I would understand the argument of well she feel threatened and this was her understandable response BUT the calculation and fixation on the moment of the murder as evidenced by her keeping the necklace and writing a poem about it. Listening her describe how the life left his eyes was semi-serial killer-sequel. I don’t know I just feel like I am going to accept it. Also, leaving Tate with the feeling of betrayal too seems unfair for his character but I digress.
I thought throughout the book it could have been Chase's wife, she would have had motive. It being Kya and the way it was revealed doesn't make any sense for her character until this point. She was shown as traumatised by Chase almost raping and hitting her. Also, she was scared of him. Kya planning a murder into the smallest details such as having an alibi, diguising herself as a dude and an old lady and luring the dude she was scared for her life of onto the tower didn't seem believable.
Many details didn't add up as well. So how exactly did the fiber of Tate's hat, that she probably wore a few times on her head, get from her on Chase's sweater? Were was the hair that the sherrif couldn't find on the tower? If she wiped the whole tower clean of fingerprints, and again destroyed all evidence such as the footprints, were was the time for her to get back in time to catch the bus (this wasn't even pointed out in Tom Milton's defense), and all that in utter dark and in such perfection, that no trace of her was found?
All taken into account, for me it did not match neither the evidence nor Kya's character up to that point. I wished for it to be some of the town's folk who didn't stand by Kya's side. Chase certainly did have some haters, as he seemed selfish and violent. It being one of the girls he betrayed, maybe some friend of his wife or even his wife herself, who went through emotional termoil would have made more sense than it being shy and sensitive, scared-for-her-life Kya.
Karen wrote: ""I kinda wish that no one murdered Chase and it was an accident like he went up there to reminisce, threw the necklace away and then simply slipped. I don't like the malice the ending attributes to..."I didn't think that it was graphic at all. It actually left quite a bit to the imagination, and was pretty tame. I think it did a good job demonstrating the chemistry and trust she had in Tate, versus the plain old sexual attraction she had with Chase.
Debi wrote: "Anyone else find that by keeping the necklace, it made Kya just as creepy as Chase was for keeping it? Kya went from cool, to not cool for me.If Chase wanted to keep that gift as "possession" of ..."
She took that necklace back because he no longer deserved it. It was something personal to her, and he violated her trust and he hurt her. She didn't want him to have her gift anymore, and I totally understand why she took it back.
Claire Walsh wrote: "Hi there This is my first post ever. I wanted to talk to others about this book beacuse I enjoyed it so much. I thought of something when I finished it and I wanted to see if others thought the sa..."
Yup!!
Thomas wrote: "I thought she did it as well at first but then I was convinced it was Tate because of the details in the court were a bit far-fetched to attribute them to Kya. The idea that she would meticulously ..."I completely agree with you. By the end of the book I felt duped and manipulated- I mean Kya did dupe and manipulate everyone such as Jumpin', Tate, Jodie and her wonderful lawyer. She duped the whole town and to see the whole town turn around and give her a chance and view her in a less harsh light felt like gaslighting because to be blunt- they were right to be scared and cautious of her. Kya was wild and you know what they say about wild animals- they can't be trusted. I have a degree of empathy for her as she genuinely feared for her life and wild animals are known for killing overly aggressive animals to protect the pack so in that way it made perfect sense for her to do so. Kya was like a little wild bear cub at the start of the book, cute, pitiful, fairly harmless and endearing but by the end in her adulthood she was every bit as dangerous as a wild female bear.
I wish Pearl had done it. Imagine this- the entire book stays the same minus the revelation it was Kya. The last chapter is a Pearl POV. She reveals how and why she did it. Perhaps Chase was just as abusive to Pearl as he was to Kya. Perhaps she was just a woman scorned. I think it would have been great.
I wonder if Tate thought less of Kya when he found out it was her. He surely had to feel a bit cheated.
P.S- I never thought it was Tate, Jumpin' or Jodie. I don't think any of them would have let Kya go through the trial knowing it was them and not her. That would have been cruel and taken away from the love that they all had for her.
Erin wrote: "There was a moment in the middle of the trial where it says something along the lines of: "Then they described how she had killed Chase." I re-read that line but just chalked it up to being a turn ..."I noticed that too!!
Kya is definitely an unreliable narrator. If she avoided mentioning the fact that she did kill Chase, what else did she leave out?
The book emphasized how all Kya and her family lived with an extremely abusive father, which caused all of them to flee. Her mother even tried to send a letter back to Pa to retrieve her children. Pa respond that if she attempts to retrieve her children, that he will physically harm them to no end. Fearing for her children's welfare, she never retrieved them and went crazy. When Jodie later explained what the mother wrote on the letter and why Pa burnt it, Kya understood why she left and never came back for her.When Jumpin confronted Kya about her bruised eye and she admitted being almost raped by Chase, she mentioned to Jumpin that no one in town would believe her and that the marsh girl "had it coming". Just like Kya's mother, both women felt trapped with no other options other than to run. But unlike her submissive mother, Kya wasn't going to have any of it!
Getting rid of Chase was the only way Kya felt she can regain some sense of safety and do what her mother never did. She already defended herself from the rape, so she knew Chase wasn't going to stop. Kya probably didn't want to live in constant fear and be subjected to future physical brutality and pain that Pa and Chase inflicted on these women.
This isn't to say that murdering Chase was in any way justified ... but I understand.
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Hi Kristina and thank you for your thoughts. I figured that I was the last to the Crawdad party and no one would be here.
That's a good observation about Kya's beliefs about the exchange that happens when touching (and she had good instincts now we know that's true with DNA), and it explained her personal reasons for taking back the necklace. Do you think that could also make a larger metaphor for the exchange that happened via "touching" of the townspeople and the Marsh Girl?
My feelings toward Kya by the end of the novel are in response to more than her keeping the necklace and poem. Those items launched my thoughts, starting with how creepy it seemed to me. But even without them signifying "trophies", my feelings have still changed from the child Kya to the adult Kya. It's really all about the premeditation of the murder and her subsequent actions.
Please forgive this long-winded post. This book has haunted me.
I understand the love for this story because I felt it too. The early chapters about an incredibly young Kya were so enchanting and heartbreaking. I underlined lots of beautiful passages (the boating through an "emerald tunnel" was a favorite). I was filled with joy by the vivid images of the growing nest and feather collections in her cabin. And oh, her chutzpah! That little starving thing asking Jumpin' if she could sell him mussels, oh my. That girl could be my hero any day.
But then we get to the murder because the story is about a murder from the first page. So even with strong will to survive and all that she was capable of doing from such a tender age just to survive, able to live to womanhood alone days on end, reading, thinking, observing, she couldn't figure out a single other better strategy for the Chase problem? After one attack, she went straight to the most heinous option? Then, she spent days (or was it weeks?) figuring in detail how to get rid of him permanently and not point detection to herself.
Was it just perceived self-preservation that was her motive? She was ill used by a dirty dog, tricked into believing he would marry her, then he secretly married his own social class instead. Yikes! That would sting -- being rejected always does -- but it would have been especially deeply felt by Kya with her life of multiple abandonment. But what made her conclude it had to be done this way, this one way, no other options like waiting with a weapon or devising clever traps for his next trespass? In her poem's last couplet is there a hint about that? She watched "...love itself passing/To whatever it was before it begun." The problem of the pain of that love (which love exactly, her's or his?) is solved by his death. A scorned love was killed. Revenged.
So after murdering Chase, plus getting away with it, she lives a nice life, the one we readers always wanted for her! Peaceful, with a loving mate, writing marsh books, and even having family in her life again. No leftover problems of her romance with Chase to mess that up. Only thing missing is some expected wisdom. No remorse or acts of redemption. She never goes into town again. Another piece of her bliss. The way to avoiding the grieved face of Mrs. Patti Love Andrews, Chase's poor mama, snobby though she may be, who would never embrace her son again, and would live until her death with the extra pain of no justice.
Even Kya's own friends and family, gathered around her, righteous and kind, suffered during the trial. Every day they were sick with worry about her incarceration and sat through the trial with the very possible guilty verdict and death sentence over her head. Apparently none doubted her innocence, but she let them suffer while she knew all along that the charge was correct. Wonder how Jumpin' or Scupper would have felt learning she killed Chase like she did? Good men, both.
And Tate. Poor Tate who was the most loving and honorable person of her life. Only after their long life together and her death did he learn he had lived with the murderer of Chase. She never told him the truth. Wonder how that felt? Did he forgive her with complete understanding, even the lies? Or did he maybe feel betrayed, his credo of honor to protect her impinged? For heaven's sake, why didn't Kya throw out that blasted necklace and poem!
After thinking about all these things, the story became more nuanced than when I first closed the pages. We fell in love with an admirable little person, cheering her on all the way. Then, she did something awful.
How can we reconcile the Kya we loved with the one who killed a man and never took responsibility?
For anyone who is still here through to the end, Egads! Bless you for hearing me out.