Book Review - Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward


There was a feeling close to that of being punched in the stomach that came over me when I finished reading Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward.
In fact, I left the room where I had been sitting beside my partner so that I could collect myself and find a place in my brain in which it could sit without overwhelming me.
That is how good this book is.
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2017.  This is the second time that Ward has won this award (she first won in 2011 for her debut novel Salvage the Bones) and I'm sure that she will receive further accolades for this fine book.
A literary novel set in the American South, Sing, Unburied, Sing is the story of thirteen year old Jojo and his mother, Leonie.  Both are living with Leonie's parents and each are struggling to come to terms with their circumstances.
They embark on a road trip into the heart of Mississippi when Jojo's father is released from the infamous Parchman Farm State Penitentiary.  A journey that brings a new dimension of tension and danger into their lives and an unexpected twist to the narrative.
Sing, Unburied, Sing is a powerful novel that draws on many themes including race, belonging, addiction and prejudice.
The emotional swell is built by the broken-hearted voices of both of these characters and believe you me, they will get inside your head.
Whilst not an easy read, Sing, Unburied Sing is without doubt the most compelling book I read in 2017.
Please read it.

"A must" Margaret Atwood



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