Book Review 88
Name Of The Book : Sing, Unburied, Sing
Author : Jesmyn Ward
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Year : 2017
Category : Fiction
Review :
Jesmyn Ward brings the archetypal road novel into rural twenty-first-century America. An intimate portrait of a family and an epic tale of hope and struggle, Sing, Unburied, Sing journeys through Mississippi’s past and present, examining the ugly truths at the heart of the American story and the power—and limitations—of family bonds. Jojo is thirteen years old and trying to understand what it means to be a man. He doesn’t lack in fathers to study, chief among them his Black grandfather, Pop. But there are other men who complicate his understanding: his absent White father, Michael, who is being released from prison; his absent White grandfather, Big Joseph, who won’t acknowledge his existence; and the memories of his dead uncle, Given, who died as a teenager. His mother, Leonie, is an inconsistent presence in his and his toddler sister’s lives. She is an imperfect mother in constant conflict with herself and those around her. She is Black and her children’s father is White. She wants to be a better mother but can’t put her children above her own needs, especially her drug use. Simultaneously tormented and comforted by visions of her dead brother, which only come to her when she’s high, Leonie is embattled in ways that reflect the brutal reality of her circumstances. When the children’s father is released from prison, Leonie packs her kids and a friend into her car and drives north to the heart of Mississippi and Parchman Farm, the State Penitentiary. At Parchman, there is another thirteen-year-old boy, the ghost of a dead inmate who carries all of the ugly history of the South with him in his wandering. He too has something to teach Jojo about fathers and sons, about legacies, about violence, about love.
In the beginning, I was quite confused as it is abrupt and without any introduction. However, soon I got the hang of the plot and the book was a great experience. The book tells the story of a black family in America with complicated circumstances and relationships. It is narrated through the voices of Jojo, an adolescent boy, Leonie, a young mother and Richie, a ghost from the past. Jojo and Kayla are mixed race children living in Mississippi with their black grandparents. Leonie, their drug addict mother appears at times and there is a long and dangerous road trip in the narrative where they travel to the prisons to pick up Michael, the children’s father. Their grandmother suffers from cancer. This book is critically acclaimed and rightly so because it covers a lot of important issues like racism, poverty, child abuse and drug abuse. The issues are multi-dimensional and heart-wrenching. I was able to emotionally connect with the book and I must say that it is a difficult read. It makes us uncomfortable with the questions that are subtly thrown at us about the society we live in. It makes us introspect on the atrocities that humans are capable of committing. Something I had not anticipated in this book is the use of magical realism. A lot of people did not enjoy that aspect but I liked it in spite of the fact that I am not usually a fan of the genre. From a young age, Jojo is forced to take care of his sister Kayla as Leonie behaves aloof. She has not yet been able to cope up with the loss of her brother Given and thus is unable to love her children as much as she wants to. Leonie’s finds her escape through drugs and her children are neglected. Richie is a very unusual character and the secrets that he shares with Jojo’s grandfather Pop are unexpected and tragic. The book has accurately captured the intricate relationships that the characters share. The author has been able to capture the nuances of racism and the plight of mixed race families. This book is highly recommended for those who want to read beyond their comfort zones to get a better insight into these issues.
Rating : 4.5/5
Name Of The Book : Sing, Unburied, Sing
Author : Jesmyn Ward
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Year : 2017
Category : Fiction
Review :
Jesmyn Ward brings the archetypal road novel into rural twenty-first-century America. An intimate portrait of a family and an epic tale of hope and struggle, Sing, Unburied, Sing journeys through Mississippi’s past and present, examining the ugly truths at the heart of the American story and the power—and limitations—of family bonds. Jojo is thirteen years old and trying to understand what it means to be a man. He doesn’t lack in fathers to study, chief among them his Black grandfather, Pop. But there are other men who complicate his understanding: his absent White father, Michael, who is being released from prison; his absent White grandfather, Big Joseph, who won’t acknowledge his existence; and the memories of his dead uncle, Given, who died as a teenager. His mother, Leonie, is an inconsistent presence in his and his toddler sister’s lives. She is an imperfect mother in constant conflict with herself and those around her. She is Black and her children’s father is White. She wants to be a better mother but can’t put her children above her own needs, especially her drug use. Simultaneously tormented and comforted by visions of her dead brother, which only come to her when she’s high, Leonie is embattled in ways that reflect the brutal reality of her circumstances. When the children’s father is released from prison, Leonie packs her kids and a friend into her car and drives north to the heart of Mississippi and Parchman Farm, the State Penitentiary. At Parchman, there is another thirteen-year-old boy, the ghost of a dead inmate who carries all of the ugly history of the South with him in his wandering. He too has something to teach Jojo about fathers and sons, about legacies, about violence, about love.
In the beginning, I was quite confused as it is abrupt and without any introduction. However, soon I got the hang of the plot and the book was a great experience. The book tells the story of a black family in America with complicated circumstances and relationships. It is narrated through the voices of Jojo, an adolescent boy, Leonie, a young mother and Richie, a ghost from the past. Jojo and Kayla are mixed race children living in Mississippi with their black grandparents. Leonie, their drug addict mother appears at times and there is a long and dangerous road trip in the narrative where they travel to the prisons to pick up Michael, the children’s father. Their grandmother suffers from cancer. This book is critically acclaimed and rightly so because it covers a lot of important issues like racism, poverty, child abuse and drug abuse. The issues are multi-dimensional and heart-wrenching. I was able to emotionally connect with the book and I must say that it is a difficult read. It makes us uncomfortable with the questions that are subtly thrown at us about the society we live in. It makes us introspect on the atrocities that humans are capable of committing. Something I had not anticipated in this book is the use of magical realism. A lot of people did not enjoy that aspect but I liked it in spite of the fact that I am not usually a fan of the genre. From a young age, Jojo is forced to take care of his sister Kayla as Leonie behaves aloof. She has not yet been able to cope up with the loss of her brother Given and thus is unable to love her children as much as she wants to. Leonie’s finds her escape through drugs and her children are neglected. Richie is a very unusual character and the secrets that he shares with Jojo’s grandfather Pop are unexpected and tragic. The book has accurately captured the intricate relationships that the characters share. The author has been able to capture the nuances of racism and the plight of mixed race families. This book is highly recommended for those who want to read beyond their comfort zones to get a better insight into these issues.
Rating : 4.5/5