Where the Crawdads Sing: Chapter 31 Summary & Analysis

A year after the announcement of Chase and Pearl’s engagement, 22-year-old Kya receives an advance copy of her own book in the mail. The book is called The Sea Shells of the Eastern Seaboard and is full of her own illustrations and descriptions of the many shells she has found over the years. Kya’s editor, Robert Foster, was able to fast-track the publishing process because Kya had already completed the entirety of the book’s contents, and she already has plans to write another book about birds. Moreover, she has received $5,000 as an advance payment—a staggering amount of money for her. Grateful for everything Tate did to help make this happen, Kya sits down to write him a letter, but she can’t find the right words to express her gratitude, since the money from the book will allow her to live a better life.

Tate has recently started working at the new biology lab that is nearby, and though Kya has seen him from afar, they haven’t interacted since he last came to her shack and suggested that she publish a book. When she finally finishes her thank-you letter, she includes a postscript that tells him to pay her a visit next time he’s in the area. The following week, she hires a man to make improvements on the shack, installing various new appliances including a toilet, a water heater, and a bathtub. At the same time, though, she makes sure to preserve the shack’s rustic integrity.

One day, Jumpin’ tells Kya that a group of developers plans to cut down trees and drain parts of the marsh to build hotels. Kya is terrified they’ll encroach upon her land, since she doesn’t know if her family ever legally owned the area surrounding her shack. To address this, she goes to the Barkley Cove courthouse to check the public records. To her surprise, she discovers that her grandfather bought the land in 1897. However, there are years of back taxes to be paid, and the courthouse clerk tells her that anyone who pays them will have rightful ownership of the land. Nervously, Kya asks how much it would be to pay off all of the taxes and is relieved to hear that it will only cost $800 because the area is considered “waste-land.” Using the earnings from her book, she pays the back taxes in full.

Tate visits Kya that afternoon, and she gives him a finished copy of her book. When he thanks her, she tells him that he’s largely responsible for her newfound success. In response, Tate says he hopes Kya will reach out to him next time she sees him in the marsh, and she assures him that she will. Later, Kya goes to Jumpin’s and gives him the book, thanking him and Mabel for all of their help over the years. Filled with emotion, Jumpin’ wants to hug her but cannot, knowing that an old black man and a young white woman could get into trouble for showing affection in public. Instead, he puts the book on display in his shop, showing it off with the pride of a father.