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Now you're probably hunting for books that deliver that same beautiful punch of isolation and coming-of-age grit.
We've rounded up the 11 best books like 'Where the Crawdads Sing' that capture what made Kya's story so unforgettable — stories where nature isn't just a backdrop, it's a character; where loneliness shapes everything; and where young women learn to survive against impossible odds. These book recommendations will fill that Crawdad-shaped hole in your reading life.
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Download Headway and keep growing between your next great novel — because readers like you never stop learning. Now, let's get into the books you need on your shelf.
Quick Answer: What are the top 5 books like 'Where the Crawdads Sing' by Delia Owens?
'The Great Alone' by Kristin Hannah: Another epic tale of a young woman's survival in a harsh landscape.
'The Marsh King's Daughter' by Karen Dionne: It has a main character with a childhood defined by wilderness isolation, just like Kya.
'Educated' by Tara Westover: A true-life memoir of a young girl's fight for knowledge and escape from an isolated life.
'Before We Were Yours' by Lisa Wingate: Uncovers dark family secrets and focuses on the resilience of children who are left on their own.
'The Secret Life of Bees' by Sue Monk Kidd: A classic Southern story about a young girl seeking refuge and new beginnings.
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What made Kya's coming-of-age story so powerful wasn't just the murder mystery. It was watching a girl build herself from nothing in that stilt house, learning to survive in the wild marshes of Barkley Cove while the small town rejected her.
These 11 similar books capture that same magic: Fierce heroines, isolated settings that shape everything, and stories that your book club won't stop discussing for weeks.
1. 'The Great Alone' by Kristin Hannah
This New York Times bestseller, set in Alaska, is an intense story of the human spirit pushed to its limits.
The story follows Leni Allbright. Her ex-POW father moves their family to a remote cabin in Alaska in the 1970s. The family is unprepared for the brutal winter and the isolation. Leni must learn quickly how to survive both the merciless climate and her father's increasingly volatile behavior. This novel is a heart-wrenching portrait of a family trying to find hope in a broken environment.
Similarities between the books:
A young girl growing into a young woman in a completely isolated environment.
The protagonist must rely on wits and self-teaching for survival.
A remote setting, Alaska, becomes a powerful character in the story, just like the marsh was for Kya.
What happens when isolation comes not from wilderness, but from an entire city sealed off from the world? In 'Wuhan Diary: Dispatches From A Quarantined City', Fang Fang chronicles life under lockdown with the same raw honesty and resilience, proving that survival can also mean enduring silence, fear, and the ache of uncertainty.
2. 'The Marsh King's Daughter' by Karen Dionne
This murder mystery novel closely mirrors the setting and themes of the Marsh Girl's story. The setting is the vast, wild Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Helena Pelletier has a seemingly normal life. But she hides a dark past: Her father was the infamous "Marsh King" — a man who kidnapped her mother and held them captive in a remote cabin for years. Helena was his golden child, learning all his survival skills. When her father escapes prison, she is the only person who can track him down.
Similarities between the books:
The main character's identity is completely tied to a life of isolation in a wild place.
The plot involves tracking down a criminal connected to the protagonist's past.
Focus is on the complex and sometimes damaging bond a young girl has with a dangerous parent.
3. 'Educated' by Tara Westover
Tara Westover's book is a true story, and it held a spot on the NYT Hardcover Non-Fiction list for over 130 weeks. It is a real-life tale of a young woman's fight for a better life.
Tara grew up in Idaho in a survivalist family. Her father mistrusted the government and modern medicine. She never attended high school or saw a doctor. Her yearning for knowledge pushed her to educate herself. She eventually earned a PhD from the University of Cambridge. It is a story about the cost of education and the struggle to escape a childhood defined by extreme isolation.
Similarities between the books:
The protagonist, a young girl, begins life with no formal education and must teach herself to read and learn.
The story explores the extreme pain of breaking away from family to pursue a new path.
It is about radical self-discovery and a quest for a better life through intellect.
4. 'Before We Were Yours' by Lisa Wingate
This emotional novel was a #1 New York Times bestseller that stayed on the list for 54 weeks. It is an unforgettable piece of historical fiction set in Mississippi.
The story jumps between the past, 1939, and the present. It tells the fictionalized story of the Tennessee Children's Home Society, which stole and sold children from poor families. The story follows a family of five siblings taken from their shanty houseboat. The eldest, 12-year-old Rill Foss, must fight to keep her younger siblings together as they are moved into foster care.
Similarities between the books:
The central theme is children who are abandoned or separated from their parents and must rely on each other for survival.
The setting is the Southern wilderness (a houseboat on the Mississippi River).
It is a powerful story about uncovering a painful history and exposing dark family secrets.
5. 'The Secret Life of Bees' by Sue Monk Kidd
Set in South Carolina in 1964, the story centers on Lily Owens, a young girl who runs away from her abusive father. She is searching for the truth about her deceased mother. Lily finds refuge with the Boatwright sisters, three independent, Black beekeepers. Lily experiences new beginnings as she learns about beekeeping and the power of love.
Similarities between the books:
A young woman runs away from abuse to find freedom.
The use of nature as a symbol of independence.
The protagonist finds a non-traditional "family" that helps her grow.
Like Lily, Stephanie Land in ʼMaidʼ fights her way out of abuse and hardship, rebuilding her life one small victory at a time. Her story swaps the Southern beehives for motel rooms and cleaning supplies — but the same courage and quiet determination shine through every page.
6. 'The Nightingale' by Kristin Hannah
Set in France during World War II, the novel follows two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, who must survive the German occupation. Vianne is forced to house a German officer, while Isabelle joins the Resistance. The book asks how far you would go to survive and save the people you love.
Similarities between the books:
An epic story of female survival and resilience against overwhelming odds.
The emotional depth required to make impossible moral choices for a better life.
A strong sense of place (occupied France) that dictates the characters' existence.
7. 'Circe' by Madeline Miller
Circe is the daughter of Helios, the god of the sun. She is not as powerful as her family, so she is cast out to an island. She hones her power in solitude, becoming a powerful sorceress. Over centuries, she encounters famous figures from mythology, but always returns to her isolated home.
Similarities between the books:
An intelligent woman is banished to a remote location.
The theme of a marginalized character building a life separate from society.
A strong connection to the natural world of the isolated island.
If 'Circe' shows the life behind a single myth, 'The Power of Myth' reveals why such stories endure. Joseph Campbell’s reflections on the hero’s journey echo Circe’s own transformation — reminding us that exile, struggle, and self-discovery are the oldest tales ever told.
8. 'My Absolute Darling' by Gabriel Tallent
This book is a raw, unflinching look at 14-year-old Julia "Turtle" Alveston living in the remote Mendocino County of Northern California.
Turtle lives with her abusive and paranoid father in isolation. She is trained in survival skills. When she meets two high school boys, she begins to see a possibility for a better life. The novel is a difficult but ultimately hopeful look at a young girl's fight for freedom.
Similarities between the books:
An isolated young girl in the wilderness.
The character must use her intense survivalist training to fight her way toward a new beginning.
The protagonist's first experience with kindness and love inspires her desire to escape her family situation.
9. 'The Snow Child' by Eowyn Ivey
This story is a retelling of a fairy tale. The story begins in the Alaska wilderness of the 1920s.
Jack and Mabel move to a homestead in Alaska to escape the grief of their childlessness. In a moment of joy, they build a child out of snow. The next day, the snow child is gone, replaced by a strange, wild girl named Faina. Faina is a true child of the wilderness, and Jack and Mabel slowly grow to love her.
Similarities between the books:
The theme of a child who appears to be a feral creature of nature, just like Kya, the marsh girl.
An atmospheric story set in an unforgiving landscape.
Topics of survival and a profound connection to the natural world.
Just as 'The Snow Child' blurs the line between reality and wonder, 'The Magic of Believing' uncovers the quiet power behind what we choose to imagine. Claude M. Bristol reminds us that belief itself can summon new worlds — whether made of snow, hope, or sheer will to begin again.
10. 'Demon Copperhead' by Barbara Kingsolver
This novel is a modern retelling of Charles Dickens' 'David Copperfield'. The setting is the contemporary Appalachian Mountains of southwest Virginia and eastern Kentucky.
The title character, Damon "Demon" Fields, is born to a young single mother in a poor rural setting. He navigates the horrors of the foster system, child labor, and the opioid crisis.
Similarities between the books:
The protagonist is a child navigating systemic poverty.
It is a powerful commentary on how society fails its most vulnerable children.
The vivid language intertwines the protagonist's identity with the landscape of their origins.
11. 'Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance: A Novel' by Ruth Emmie Lang
This book is about the life of Weylyn Grey, who was raised by wolves. Weylyn has a gentle power over the natural world; storms follow his moods, and animals speak to him.
The story is told through the eyes of the people he encounters — his foster sister, a teacher, and the woman he loves — and how he leaves a bit of magic with them. It is a story of finding family and belonging, even when you are fundamentally different.
Similarities between the books:
A child is raised by nature and struggles to integrate into human society.
The use of nature as a central, almost mystical, force in the character's life.
Both are lyrical, whimsical, and atmospheric stories that explore deep emotional territory (grief, loneliness, love) while incorporating fantastical elements.
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Kya Clark taught herself everything — how to read, how to survive, how to see the world through the eyes of the marsh. The characters in these books share that hunger for knowledge and growth, even when the world makes learning hard.
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Frequently asked questions about books like 'Where the Crawdads Sing'
What books are similar to 'Where the Crawdads Sing'?
If you loved Kya's story, try 'The Great Alone' by Kristin Hannah, which follows a family surviving Alaska's brutal wilderness. 'Educated' by Tara Westover shares similar themes of isolation and self-taught survival, while 'The Secret Life of Bees' by Sue Monk Kidd offers that same Southern setting with a young woman escaping abuse to find freedom.
Who writes like Delia Owens?
Barbara Kingsolver and Kristin Hannah nail that same blend of lyrical nature writing and emotional depth. If you're drawn to Owens' storytelling style, you'll also appreciate Sue Monk Kidd's Southern settings and Karen Russell's vivid sense of place.
What genre is the book 'Where the Crawdads Sing'?
'Where the Crawdads Sing' doesn't fit into one box. It's a coming-of-age story wrapped in a murder mystery, all set against a Southern Gothic backdrop. The book follows Kya from abandoned child to successful naturalist while weaving in courtroom drama and exploring the South's dark history of isolation and prejudice.
Is 'Where the Crawdads Sing' based on a true story?
No, but the parallels to Owens' life are unsettling. In the 1990s, while working as conservationists in Zambia, Owens and her husband were linked to a poacher's death caught on camera. They left Africa shortly after, and Zambian authorities still want to question them about the incident, though they've never been charged.
What books are good for fans of Delia Owens?
Start with 'The Great Alone' by Kristin Hannah if you want more wilderness survival drama. For that same nature-obsessed protagonist, grab 'Where the Forest Meets the Stars' by Glendy Vanderah. And if you're drawn to the darker themes of isolation and abuse, 'My Absolute Darling' by Gabriel Tallent delivers that same raw intensity.
What is Delia Owens' second book?
Owens hasn't written another novel since 'Where the Crawdads Sing' in 2018. Before becoming a fiction writer at age 70, she spent decades as a wildlife scientist and co-authored three acclaimed memoirs about her research in Africa's Kalahari Desert and Zambia. Those earlier books won her the John Burroughs Award for nature writing.
