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A review by shellballenger
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
5.0
Type of read: Commuter Read
What made me pick it up: I read 'Sing, Unburied, Sing' last year and wanted to read other books by Ward.
Overall rating: 'Salvage the Bones' gutted me. This was a beautifully sad and heart-wrenching story of a girl and her journey through love, destruction, and acceptance. The way Ward writes is so real and raw but polished and purposeful at the same time.
I want to give more of a review, but honestly, I think this quote speaks for the book and how it felt reading it: “And then I get up because it is the only thing I can do. I step out of the ditch and brush the ants off because it is the only thing I can do. I follow Randall around the house because it is the only thing I can do; if this is strength, if this is weakness, this is what I do. I hiccup, but tears still run down my face. After Mama died, Daddy said, What are you crying for? Stop crying. Crying ain’t going to change anything. We never stopped crying. We just did it quieter. We hid it. I learned how to cry so that almost no tears leaked out of my eyes, so that I swallowed the hot salty water of them and felt them running down my throat. This was the only thing that we could do. I swallow and squint through the tears, and I run.”
I would absolutely recommend 'Salvage the Bones.'
Reader's Note: This book includes sex between minors that is 'given because it's easier than saying no.' Additionally, there are detailed depictions of dogfighting (blood, aggression, injuries) and scenes vividly describing surviving through an active hurricane.
What made me pick it up: I read 'Sing, Unburied, Sing' last year and wanted to read other books by Ward.
Overall rating: 'Salvage the Bones' gutted me. This was a beautifully sad and heart-wrenching story of a girl and her journey through love, destruction, and acceptance. The way Ward writes is so real and raw but polished and purposeful at the same time.
I want to give more of a review, but honestly, I think this quote speaks for the book and how it felt reading it: “And then I get up because it is the only thing I can do. I step out of the ditch and brush the ants off because it is the only thing I can do. I follow Randall around the house because it is the only thing I can do; if this is strength, if this is weakness, this is what I do. I hiccup, but tears still run down my face. After Mama died, Daddy said, What are you crying for? Stop crying. Crying ain’t going to change anything. We never stopped crying. We just did it quieter. We hid it. I learned how to cry so that almost no tears leaked out of my eyes, so that I swallowed the hot salty water of them and felt them running down my throat. This was the only thing that we could do. I swallow and squint through the tears, and I run.”
I would absolutely recommend 'Salvage the Bones.'
Reader's Note: This book includes sex between minors that is 'given because it's easier than saying no.' Additionally, there are detailed depictions of dogfighting (blood, aggression, injuries) and scenes vividly describing surviving through an active hurricane.