I think I've been in the land of non-fiction too long. It was strange readjusting to a novel, especially one that I had a hard time relating to. Jesmyn Ward, the author of Salvage the Bones, the winner of the 2011 National Book Award, is trying to give the poor rural southern black American a fictional voice (I read that somewhere, but can't find my source now).
This is the story of a young black 15 year old girl and her brothers. Their mother has died and they live with their unemployed, generally drunk father. Esch has been sleeping with the boys because that is "the only thing that comes easy to her". Skeetah, her brother, loves his pit bull above everything else. Another brother plays basketball and is hoping for a college scholarship. Their story takes place in the 12 days leading up to and including hurricane Katrina. There are dog fights, boy fights, stealing, and other intense situations, especially during the storm. Ward is a visceral writer and you can feel the heat, grit, blood, and sweat that abound in the book.
The one thing I really liked about the book was the love between the siblings, and how they took care of each other and their father. Otherwise I was somewhat repulsed and saddened.
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