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luisasm 's review for:
Salvage the Bones
by Jesmyn Ward
It took me a minute to get my head into this, but once I did it was so worth it. It's devastating (both emotionally and physically) and beautiful and heartbreaking. Family dramas are almost always fascinating and well written ones like this one should be treasured. The characters are utterly and completely dimensional, and the family dynamic is both unique and familiar. Esch is a heroine you ache for, Skeetah is tragically stubborn, Randall the classic brave older sibling, China is the completely savage and symbolic mascot and there's a whole cast of characters that expand the story into a bunch of different places. But it's still centered around Esch and her family, about their home and their dogs. It addresses racism and slut-shaming and violence and grief, and Esch dominates with incredible strength and passion. And then, the story goes into Hurricane Katrina, which is described in one of the most viscerally suspenseful and dramatic climaxes I've ever read. It's terrifying and breathtaking, and it throws you into the hurricane as if you were there yourself. It's a glimpse into the world of those on the Mississippi Gulf Coast who didn't leave, and of those who returned, and it's so incredibly real. We've all seen the images of people on their rooftops after that storm, and this story let's you see exactly who those people trapped above the roiling waters are. It solidifies Katrina and it tells a dazzling story along the way.