A review by emmalong
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

5.0

this book absolutely astounded me and took me by complete surprise. having already read Let Us Descend, i was nervous i would feel lukewarm about this story as well, despite wanting to love Jesmyn Ward. i’m happy to report, that i absolutely do. this writing is STUNNING, unreal, poignant. told from multiple perspectives, we follow a black family in the Mississippi south. despite everyone’s best efforts and teachings, the mother of two children is struggling with addiction and being a good parent. her oldest, Jojo, sees his mother for exactly who she is and does his best to be a man and be a strong support for his younger sister. this novel is haunting, involving real and imagined ghosts, and is more deeply layered than some books twice its length. such a bold character-driven family tale about poverty, race, addiction, the south, and coming-of-age. will absolutely return in the future