[Poll Ballot] Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward - 2 stars

[Joy D]

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward - 2 stars - My Review

Story of a poor black family in rural Mississippi near the Gulf Coast in the twelve days before Hurricane Katrina. Esch and her three brothers face many hardships. They cannot depend on the one adult in their lives, an alcoholic father, so they must fend for themselves.

The tension is maintained by the gathering storm, which the reader knows will be severe. I am sure this book will appeal to many readers for its literary merit, but it is too dark and depressing for me. I liked parts of it, but always have trouble with books that depict adults who do not protect children. The content is grim, including teenage pregnancy, animal abuse, mixing alcohol and drugs, and the like. This book won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2011.

[Booknblues]

I loved this book and Ward's writing, but admit that it is very dark.

[Joy D]

Booknblues wrote: "I loved this book and Ward's writing, but admit that it is very dark."
I can't resist award winning literature, so I sometimes end up reading books I am likely not to enjoy very much. The writing is what bumped it up a star for me.

[Booknblues]

I can read quite dark books, if they seem to have a human element to them. I think Ward is an excellent writer. I read Men We Reaped, which is a memoir and it helped me to understand her despair.

[Joy D]

Booknblues wrote: "I can read quite dark books, if they seem to have a human element to them. I think Ward is an excellent writer. I read Men We Reaped, which is a memoir and it helped me to understan..."
Sometimes I can really appreciate dark books, as long as there is some hope in it somewhere. But I have real issues with certain topics such as rape, child abuse, animal abuse. This one hit the trifecta.