Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

 

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward was the next book on my TBR pile. I'd heard excellent things about this author, so I was excited to give it a try. I got started expecting a complex and meaningful story, and that is what I got, although I ended up having more mixed feelings on this book than I anticipated.

The story follows fifteen-year-old Esch and her family, a group that includes her father, her older brothers Randall and Skeetah, and her younger brother Junior. Her mother passed away at Junior's birth and her father is a heavy drinker. The kids mostly look after themselves and keep the household in enough order to avoid igniting their father's temper. They live in rural Mississippi and as the story begins, a powerful hurricane is on the way. Each member of the family spends the days leading up to it wrapped up in their own concerns. Randall is focused on basketball, hoping to perform well enough in his upcoming game to earn a scholarship for a camp. Skeetah is preoccupied with his beloved pit bull China, who just had a litter of puppies. Junior is trying to be a kid and wring some sort of fun out of the poverty his family lives in, and Esch has just realized that she is pregnant. While their father concentrates on preparing their house to withstand the approaching storm with an unusual amount of intensity, the children navigate their respective situations and look after one another the best they can. 

I have mixed feelings about this book. I recognize that is it a moving story that is skillfully written. It's one of those novels that feels very literary while you are reading it--like it could be considered a classic one day. The characters are each unique and complex and their relationships with each other convey a powerful message about the importance and strength of family bonds. Esch and her brothers have very little in the world aside from each other, and they protect each other fiercely. There were parts of the story that carried a lot of meaning and beauty, and the humanity of the characters shone through on every page. The ending, with the fierce hurricane and its aftermath, was especially powerful.

In spite of all this though, Ward's writing style is just not for me. This is a purely personal preference, as I do believe that she is truly a fantastic author and storyteller. What I didn't enjoy was her imagery. She goes into a lot of detail about bodily functions, smells, sweat, stains, dirt, blood, and gore. It was incredibly realistic and you definitely felt like you were right there with her in rural Mississippi. It's probably one of the most unflinchingly real novels I have ever read, but it also made me a little queasy. I prefer a bit of a softer style when it comes to the details of being a living, breathing, sweating, peeing human. Life is most definitely kind of gross though, so I can't blame Ward for being accurate.

Ultimately, Salvage the Bones is a very good novel with a lot of heartfelt things to say about love, loyalty, and family. It was not a special favorite for me, but I would not hesitate for an instant to recommend it to anyone who loves literary fiction or character-driven stories.   

2025 Reading Challenges Tally:

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 3/40

Clear the Shelves 2025: 3