Book Review: Salvage The Bone by Jesmyn Ward

Synopsis

"A hurricane is building over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the coastal town of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, and Esch's father is growing concerned. A hard drinker, largely absent, he doesn't show concern for much else. Esch and her three brothers are stocking food, but there isn't much to save. Lately, Esch can't keep down what food she gets; she's fourteen and pregnant. Her brother Skeetah is sneaking scraps for his prized pitbull's new litter, dying one by one in the dirt, while brothers Randall and Junior try to stake their claim in a family long on child's play and short on parenting. As the twelve days that comprise the novel's framework yield to the final day and Hurricane Katrina, the unforgettable family at the novel's heart—motherless children sacrificing for each other as they can, protecting and nurturing where love is scarce—pulls itself up to struggle for another day. A wrenching look at the lonesome, brutal, and restrictive realities of rural poverty, "Salvage the Bones" is muscled with poetry, revelatory, and real."

Genre

Fiction, Drama, Contemporary Fiction

Awards and Accolades

Winner of the 2011 National Book Award for Fiction

Rating

My rating for this book is 3.5/5 stars. There were moments in this book where I felt like I was experiencing things at the same things as the character. This could be because it was the first-person point of view so it was like I was one of Esch's friends who was hanging out with her. The amount of heart and emotion present in this novel was written beautifully. The details, even gruesome ones, were described as if I was looking right at the event. The words on the page were not like anything that was written before.

Also, this book setting is Mississippi when Hurricane Katrina hit. I never experienced a hurricane nor did I group up fearing one. So, the raw fear and braveness of Esch and her family were really compelling to me. Even the way that the hurricane shapes the family was very beautiful. The kids in the family never truly experienced their lives as children which amplifies that emotion.

On top of that, there is a lot of symbolism and foreshadowing as well as a connection with people and nature. However, there were times when they were too much detail that made the book stand still or even got confusing. Overall, this is a well-rounded novel with many thought-provoking ideals and values. I recommend this book if you are ever at a bookstore!

Written by Mariah Sturdivant