A review by steamedcheese
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

emotional fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

tbh i rlly liked it ;) ahaha just kidding but actually it was a super good book. It was a bit confusing to read in the beginning because we are thrust into the world without any preface, but I really enjoyed piecing together the story and all of the characters. The book deals heavily with memory and perspective -- two elements which I, for one, LOVE. I am a big fan of family drama and stories which dissect generational trauma... not that this says anything about me... #LOL The book was written in a very cinematic way with plenty of realistic, beautiful, stream-of-consciousness prose. I do wish that it was a bit longer because there was not as much  development of the daughter and grandmother as I would have like to have seen. Props to Woodson for making me want to read MORE -- very rare feat. Another critique is that I feel like there were almost too many plot twists towards the end of the book. I know that the book is meant to demonstrate the real messiness and tragedy of life, but, because this book is fiction, I think it is fait for me to think that it could have remained stronger as a commentary the plot points towards the beginning of the book.