Reviews with content warning for Rape - Salvage the Bones

Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

10 reviews

snailteeth's review

4.25

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Impactful story that brings attention to the Black voices unheard during Hurricane Katrina. Beautiful prose with strong metaphors and motifs that carry the story.

Content Warnings

tanvibkk's review against another edition

3.5

because the ideas behind the dog-fighting and sexual abuse of minors were underdeveloped, violent scenes had less merit: it felt like their purpose was shock value. it drags on in the middle of the novel, and i found its commentary on family dynamics quite odd - didn't agree with that.

Content Warnings

jamiejanae's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

salemander's review

4.0

oh my god ouch this was such a devastating read

Content Warnings

lovelymisanthrope's review

3.0

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I received a copy of this book as a gift.
"Salvage the Bones" follows Esch and her family in the weeks leading up to a hurricane. Esch lives in Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, and they have not seen a bad hurricane since before she was born, but this hurricane, Hurricane Katrina, is threatening to ransack their lives. Esch and her family live in poverty, and they do not have access to a ton of resources to help them prepare, but they do have each other.
This story was intriguing to me because it took the approach of establishing character's stories before they were impacted by the hurricane. I already had empathy and concerns for them before the rain even started.
There is a plotline about a dog who has puppies that Skeetah, Esch's brother, wants to sell to help make more money for the family. Skeetah also has the dog engage in dog fights. There is no outright abuse, but I did not like to read about how they were treating this dog and what was happening with the puppies. Skeetah clearly loved the dog more than anything, but he pushed her to her limit.
Esch was a complicated character to like. She clearly had a good heart and loved her family more than anything. But I do not think she had that love for herself.
I think this is a great book for anyone who is looking for a story about survival against the toughest of odds.

Content Warnings

bhanson24's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

santreads's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

not an easy read but beautiful writing that puts across the story of this family each dealing with something, the dog fights and teenage sex bits were very hard for me to read which is why i cannot recommend

Content Warnings

e1oise's review

3.0

emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book is very graphic and moves very slowly. There is not much development given to any characters except the protagonist. I would recommend this book for people who like intense reads, and want to see what it is like to lives as a very poor family in the south. This book shares many important lessons about families, motherhood, and domestic violence.

Content Warnings