Crawdads Sing a hopeful lament

Gabler says the book is about the writer's life in Africa, but it never became a film. She says she was excited when she heard that Owens had finally written her novel, a wish that the writer had held for a long time.

With a master's degree in zoology and a PhD in animal behavior, Owens worked as a wildlife scientist for more than two decades in Africa. Her inspiration of the novel started from her childhood, when she was encouraged by her mother to get close to nature.

Recalling that American star Reese Witherspoon picked the book for her Reese's Book Club, a monthly pick that spotlights female authors, Gabler says she was completely captivated by the novel and its young protagonist, a wild and independent girl who survives with the skills learned in nature, while bravely facing down discrimination from residents of a nearby town.

"The young girl successfully makes a life of her own, despite the fact that one hardship after another is thrown at her. I was very much emotionally involved with the character. I was also captivated by the natural landscape and the descriptions of the natural world in which she lives," Gabler adds.