The self-confessed bookworm Reese Witherspoon has successfully brought another novel to the screen with her production company in 2022. The Song of the Crayfish by Delia Owens not only became a worldwide bestseller, but also a long-term long-seller.
In July 2023, Owens posted on Instagram that she was Novel sold 22 million copies in five years have. The touching and unusual crime story goes straight to the heart. The film adaptation is being shown on television for the first time today.
A crime thriller in the middle of nature: the song of the crayfish on TV
Abandoned by her family and rejected by society, the “marsh girl” Kya (Daisy Edgar-Jones) grows up completely isolated in the swamps of North Carolina. A close friendship only develops between the shop owner Jumpin’ (Sterling Macer Jr.) and the young Tate Walker (Taylor John Smith).
For years no one was interested in her, then suddenly she is thrust into the public eye when popular citizen Chase Andrews (Harris Dickinson) is found dead, Kya is suspected of murder and has to face the accusations and prejudices of the residents in court.
Is The Song of the Crayfish a successful novel adaptation?
Reese Witherspoon has created a $900 million empire from which she continues to produce adaptations. 15 of them were created in seven years. For the most part they were extremely successful. The Song of the Crayfish was her ninth film adaptation; she had already recommended the novel to her own book club shortly after its publication, thereby helping it gain popularity.
The original impresses with Owen’s delicate narrative style, which deals with the nature of the marshes in great detail. Little Kya finds solace in the plants and animals, as she is completely on her own from one day to the next and lives in almost complete isolation for years. The intensity of the novel is difficult to convey in the medium of film and so the film focuses primarily on the adult Kya, who is faced with a murder charge.
The plot is close to the original and portrays the characters well, if a bit one-dimensionally. However, Olivia Newman’s production seems a little too nice when we only see Kya with perfectly fitting hair and immaculate clothing. Nevertheless, it will Crime story skillfully told. It’s about a complicated love, a lonely life and the local residents’ prejudices against an outsider.
Anyone who doesn’t know the book can look forward to a calmly told but exciting film that invites you to puzzle along. For anyone who has read the novel, the adaptation may lack a bit of depth, but overall it is extremely successful and brings the lush green of the marshes to life.
When is The Song of the Crayfish on TV?
Sat.1 shows the bestseller film adaptation on today, Sunday, January 5, 2025 at 8:15 p.m. The repeat airs on Tuesday, January 7th at 11:05 p.m. If you missed The Song of the Crayfish on TV, you can buy or rent it on Amazon Prime Video.
*. If you purchase or take out a subscription via these links, we receive a commission. .