This is a story you need to digest a while after you read it. It has some elements of magical realism that may or may not be metaphorical, and the story it tells is so complexly layered that it is sometimes hard to decipher. But it is worth the journey.

The story takes place on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, where the bloody ghosts of its Jim Crow racist past are never hidden far below the surface.

Leonie is a young African-American drug-addicted mother with two children, Jojo (age 13) and his sister Kayla (3), whom she mostly leaves in the care of her own parents, Mam and Pop. Mam is dying of cancer, so Pop and Jojo carry most of the load of running the house and raising Kayla. The story is narrated in turn from multiple perspectives.

Parchman State Penitentiary is a character in this story also. Pop was sent there for five years when he was fifteen, and the trauma he experienced there has haunted him ever since. Leonie’s white boyfriend Michael (who is also the father of her two children) is in Parchman as the story begins, but is about to be released.

[In real life, Parchman had been notorious for many years for being run like a slave plantation, with inmates suffering murders, rapes, beatings and other abuses. In 1972, four Parchman inmates brought a suit against the prison superintendent in federal district court alleging their civil rights under the United States Constitution were being violated by the infliction of cruel and unusual punishment. The federal judge found for the plaintiffs, and reforms were subsequently instituted. But reports of abuses and corruption have continued to plague the prison, albeit across the color line now. As Michael wrote to Leonie: “This ain’t no place for no man. Black or White. Don’t make no difference. This is a place for the dead.”]

Leonie insists the kids ride with her to Parchman to pick up their father. She also brings along her white friend Misty, a fellow drug-addict who also has a boyfriend in Parchman. (Misty’s boyfriend is black, and “this loving across color lines was one of the reasons we became friends so quickly.”). Misty is Leonie’s only friend.

When Leonie is high, she sees her dead older brother Given, who was killed fifteen years ago by Michael’s racist cousin. In fact, Michael’s whole family consists of rabid racists, and his parents won’t even acknowledge their half-black grandchildren.

Leonie can only see the dead with drugs, but Jojo and Kayla have the “gift” of hearing voices and seeing the dead at any time. Jojo is a bit worried that when Mam dies he will see her as a ghost. She tells Jojo she thinks not; rather, she will be “on the other side of the door. With everybody else that’s gone before.”

But Jojo has reason to worry; he is troubled by a ghost named Richie, who came back with them from Parchman. Richie was only 12 when he was in prison there, at the same time that Pop (whose name is River) was there. Pop has told Jojo stories about Richie, but never about what happened to him and how he died. Richie asks Jojo to find out, because River can’t hear him like Jojo can, and Richie needs to know; he thinks if he does, he will hear the song that will free him from this half-way existence and let him move on to the afterlife. (Is the song one of love for those who died? Justice? Change in the South? It’s unclear to me.)

And Richie is not alone in his situation. “‘There’s so many,’ Richie says. . . ‘So many of us..’ ‘Stuck. So many crying loose. Lost.’” The stuck ones are those that suffered unjustly and died violently; those that were lynched, tortured, murdered - they are all waiting, in sorrow and pain, to hear the song to send them on.

Whether Jojo can help him find the song drives the narrative, as do the ties of family and love that can see us through the worst of times.

Evaluation: There are characters who act badly, and yet most of them elicit sympathy. Others, like Michael’s extended family, are horrific, but they are not portrayed unrealistically; unfortunately, they still exist.

This story is haunting in two senses. One is its inclusion of ghosts, although this is definitely not a “paranormal” story; they can be seen as narrative devices, and/or as metaphors. The other is that the story and characters and what they endured will stay in your mind long after you finish reading.

This book raises some thorny issues that would make it an excellent choice for book clubs.

4.5 stars, I'll round to 5. The characterization in this book is super strong. The characters all felt like flesh and blood breathing to me. I loved the interplay in narration between JoJo, the young boy who had to grow up too fast, and Leonie, his mother who still hasn't quite grown up. I loved seeing their relationship and how they relate to others in a multigenerational household. The prose is haunting. It is not an easy book to read subject-wise, but Ward makes it hard for you to look away and wraps you tight around members of the family.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such an incredibly prolific novel! Jesmyn Ward takes us on a journey with this family through racial adversity. Exceptional character development made this brilliant story heartbreaking!

Jesmyn Ward has a way with her words. An amazing story of a young boy and his family, touching on the individual struggles they each face as well as the struggles they face as a unit. The story is told from the perspective of the different characters, allowing insight into the internal struggles each faces. The beauty I found within the madness of all the problems these characters have is the gift that they possess. Ward did an exceptional job in painting the picture that allows you to see yourself witnessing this story as it happens. A very good read, I couldn't put it down.

This novel is astounding.

It is the story of Jojo, a 13 year old boy in Mississippi who lives with his young sister Kayla, his granparents Pop and Mam and, more absent than present, his meth-addicted mother Leonie. The book grapples with death, cancer, drug addiction and racism past and present. Wide-ranging important themes, yet the book is also much much more than all this.

There is room in the novel for many voices to speak, both dead and undead. There are layers of understanding and seeing experienced by different characters that cast a mystical shadow over the bleak realities of Sing, Unburied, Sing. It is an unsettling read, both harsh and beautiful, and it is written with truth and clarity. I will seek out more novels by Jesmyn Ward.

This is another one of those books that makes me wish I was allowed to give half stars - definitely a 4.5 star book for me. Incredibly powerful story. This is my first book by Jesmyn Ward, but it will definitely NOT be my last. She paints a stunning picture of life in rural Mississippi for young Jojo and his toddler sister. Although a lot of the book also centers around Jojo's mother, grandfather and grandmother, it's really his story, his world, his existence, that makes this book as amazing as it is. I had my doubts when a fantasy/supernatural twist was thrown into the mix, but it grabbed me and pulled me in as quickly and as wholly as Jojo's story did. The writing is almost lyrical, lulling you into the rural life of the south. What I truly loved about this book was the range of emotions it gave me - I was both disturbed and inspired by the book, saddened and uplifted, all at the same time. Most definitely one I would recommend to anyone who appreciates truly good writing, even if it comes at the price of an emotional story.

I know it's early to call it, but this novel will likely end up as my favorite read of 2017.

Now, where to begin?

I should probably start by mentioning I've loved everything I've read by Jesmyn Ward. Since the first book I read by her, I thought she was smart and talented and capable of writing something devastating in its brilliance. And SING, UNBURIED, SING is just that. It would be unjust if this novel doesn't end up being nominated for--and winning-- several awards.

This novel is primarily narrated by thirteen-year-old Jojo and his drug addict mother, Leonie. Jojo and his younger sister live with their maternal grandparents and don't have contact with their (white, racist) paternal grandparents. Mam and Pop have been a steady stable force in the children's lives as Leonie has struggled with her addiction and her codependent relationship with their father, Michael. Mam is losing her fight with cancer and Michael is being released from jail. Leonie decides to take Jojo and his sister on a journey to pick up Michael.

The trip is a kind of odyssey as they travel through Mississippi. Both Jojo and Leonie are tied to the past as they travel--Leonie traveling with her deceased brother (who incidentally was murdered by Michael's brother) and Jojo with one of Pop's deceased friends. These dead characters are more spirits than ghosts, lending a magical realism element. There is so much symbolism and layers of meaning and depth I feel like I could write a term paper about it (and would need to read it several more times to pick up everything). The book deals with heavy subjects--death, violence, race, family, and incarceration. It is a skillful study on how the past can narrate our present.

"Because we don't walk no straight lines. It's all happening at once. All of it. We all here at once..."

SING, UNBURIED, SING is beautifully written and so lyrical. It's is quite literally, a perfect novel.

This was a very hard read for me. It was incredibly well-written and beautiful realised but it just had such a weight to it - I think I just found it profoundly sad and difficult to want to pick up. I'm glad I read it but I don't know if I would read it again, because it left me feeling so exhausted.

West's book touches you in the most difficult places, brings you up close and personal with what o
it means to be part of a family, how it feels to love and be loved. At the same time, the book touches on themes of addiction, racism, poverty and family dysfunction. Ward's writing is poetic and rich, her characters fully drawn, and this story stays with you long after the last page is turned.

From National Book Award-winner for Salvage The Bones, Jesmyn Ward brings us this look at a place that I am very familiar with. The Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Ms. Ward uses language that pulls you in and makes you see, makes you feel. What an amazing gift she has!

Jojo, who is 13 and his toddler sister, Kayla and Leonie, their drug addicted mother live with Mam and Pop on a farm along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Mam is dying of cancer and Leonie is rarely there. She spends most of her time getting high and talking to her dead brother. She is about as unfit to be a mother as the yard dog.

Their father, Michael is currently a guest of the state, at Parchman. Parchman is not a place anyone would go willingly. For years mothers have used it as a way to keep teenagers in line. Just a drive by and you know it's not a good place. Michael is also white, while Leonie and her parents are black. His family wants nothing to do with Leonie or their grandchildren. But Leonie loves him even though his own family killed her brother and covered up the murder.

When Michael is released from Parchman, Leonie takes the children and her best friend and heads north to pick him up. And on the trip back, it looks like Michael wasn't' the only one to get in the car with them. Richie, a spirit, has hitched a ride. He knows Jojo can lead him to Pops and he needs to know what happened to him in Parchman and how he died.

This portrait of Mississippi past and present is one of the most moving, raw, and beautiful stories I have read. Being from the Gulf Coast and knowing The Kill, their claim to fame being the home of Brett Favre and an odd bar with bras on the ceiling, this book made me cry, it actually was painful to read some parts because the author is so brutally honest about a subject few talk about. At least not in Mississippi.

You can pretty it up on the outside, but at the core, it's still goes on everyday, the racism, the sense that they aren't as good.

This story of loss, and family and prejudice was heartwrenching. The strength of the characters enduring burdens they should never have had to bear. There is no fairness, no equality, no respect for another human being, and yet they all endure. They keep moving.

Pops was my favorite character in this novel. The way he quietly took what ever came his way and made the best of it. Besides Leonie, the rest of the family never complained, whined or bucked the system in place. They just put their heads down and did what needed to be done.




Thank You to Netgalley and Scribner for this beautiful novel.

Jesmyn Ward is a superb Writer. Every time I read her works I am moved in ways I never thought possible. It is uncanny how she is able to capture the reality of black minority in the South.

This was a hard read for me, it is one of those books you have to take your time reading because it is overflowing with hurt, loss, disappointment and a lot of subliminal messages. I honestly felt weighed down reading this book and I guess in a way Ward did her job because the pain in this book stuck with me.

This book definitely lived up to the hype and it is clear that Ward's writing only gets better with time.

By all means, most of Sing, Unburied, Sing could be summarized in a few short sentences. A young mother who is more interested in drugs than parenting drags a coworker and her children along when their father is due to be released from prison. Meanwhile, her mother suffers from cancer that has nearly finished its destructive path, and her father harbors a dark secret. But that simple summary would discount the magical language that Ward uses to capture her characters. Jojo may be a boy forced to take care of his sister from a young age, but he still retains some of the wonder of childhood. Their mother, Leonie, may be filled with rage and desperation, but her short temper is offset by some truly gorgeous phrasing. Oh, and did I mention the ghosts? Yeah, there are ghosts.

This was a beautifully written, rich book, which I feel like would have been far better to read with a group to digest some of the deeper underlying themes that I think I only understood or picked up on minimally. It is fairly short and well worth the time! I would like to come back to this one and go through it with other readers who can speak to details of the book that initially seemed odd to me, but by the end I gathered related to deeper messages the author is conveying.

Few books have been able to affect me like "Sing, Unburied, Sing" ("A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry was the last one). As a reader, you are pulled into this other world where you otherwise would never wish to go, a world filled with abuse, death, drugs, illness, poverty and racial divide. Fortunately, family and love give glimpses of hope, intensifying the struggle of each character. Every chapter is narrated in first-person by a rotating cast, each with their own vices, desires, motivation and logic. Although sometimes hard to read, it is highly readable, as only Jesmyn Ward can so masterfully do.

This is a powerful voice in literary fiction and painfully raw story of a 13-year black boy, Jojo, who is shouldering the supernatural and adult world simultaneously, in other words has too much food on his plate. The writing is exquisitely crafted, like every word of every story is ready to pack an emotional punch.

"Sometimes, the world don't give you what you need, no matter how hard you look. Sometimes, it withholds."

After his Leonie (his mother) becomes absent too often because she's out snorting pills, Jojo becomes a surrogate parent for his three year old sister, Kayla. His father is stuck in the Mississippi prison, also an absent figure from their lives. He learns about the discrimination of the black people in his family and ghosts that are around him, but he learns profound lessons that impact his worldview and how he perceives other people portrayal of him.

Living at their grandparent's farm in the deep South on the Gulf of Mississippi, Jojo learns a lot about how to be a black man, and hears stories of Pop's unfortunate stay in Parchman, the Mississippi Prison that haunt both of them in different ways. Ward is absolutely at the top of her writing game, this writing was the most lyrical piece of work that I've read in a long time; this may remain as on the top of my favorite list this year. This story is dark, so trigger warnings for abuse and violence.

She explores deep and complicated issues like abuse, race, incarceration, drug use, privilege and poverty, with the lens of balancing multiples POVs that are essentially interconnected to a car trip to get Jojo's father, Michael when he was released from prison. A lot of painfully sad things happen to Jojo and his sister Kayla, and so the author was able to create an opening for the empathy and sympathy that I deeply felt for these characters. The ability that Ward has to get to the very soul, the core of every core is so enlightening and excellent that closing this book felt like losing their essence.

"I didn't understand time either, when I was young. How could I know that after I died, Parchman would pull me from the sky? How could I imagine Parchman would pull me to it and refuse to let go? And how could I conceive that Parchman was past, present and future all at once? That the history and sentiment that carved the place out of the wilderness would show me that time is a vast ocean and that everything is happening at once?"

Interweaved throughout this story are the hidden stories of ghosts and the injustices in their past life. In that way, there is a prevalent is magical realism. There is lots of contemplation about the idea of home, what that means to each individual, and 'does the truth set you free?' We all know that life is messy; that why I'm a fan of untidy ending and this wraps up one perfect breath of a novel.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

I fell in love with the words of Jesmyn Ward years ago. Salvage the Bones is a story that has stayed with me while so many others have been quickly forgotten. So it was with great anticipation that I dove into her newest novel.

Young JoJo has a mom. And he has a dad. But neither of them is very strong in the parenting department. Dad’s in prison, and mom Leonnie seemed to have missed getting the maternal instinct gene. Luckily, though, JoJo and his baby sister Kayla have the love and parenting of their grandparents. Life is hard, but there’s always plenty to eat and more than enough love to go around. When it’s time for dad to be released from prison, Leonnie decides that a family road trip is in order. Forget the fact that neither child wants much to do with her. They’re both uprooted against their grandparents’ wishes and off they go. Along the way there’s illness, drug deals, hunger, and handcuffs.

Oh and ghosts. Did I mention the ghosts? Leonnie, JoJo, and baby Kayla it would seem are all blessed, or cursed, with the ability to see spirits. Leonnie is haunted by the image of her dead brother. And JoJo picks up a friend at the prison, a young life lost long ago. Both have unfinished business.

This is the story, and it’s a good enough story that it’s enough. But then add in the hauntingly beautiful words of the author and you have something else. You have a piece of literature that is an epic tale, a tragedy of great proportions that will keep you reading until the very end.

There are no happy endings in this story. But does life always guarantee us as much? If you’re expecting everything to be wrapped up neat and tidy by the last page, then this isn’t the story for you. If, however, you’re looking for a raw and realistic portrayal of life written in the most beautiful way, look no further.

I had been craving a book that would touch me and remind me of home and of family: Sing, Unburied, Sing is it. It is a story of Southern boyhood, regret, longing, and family. The book reminded me quite a bit of Toni Morrison's work - lyrical and mythical without being overbearing. This book really is Jesmyn Ward at her best. I am still trying to unpack all of my thoughts. A fuller review is forthcoming.

Thank you to Scribner and Net Galley for an advance reader's copy of the book.

Brilliant book. The writing is exquisite- .."her voice was a fishing line thrown so weakly the wind catches it" The descriptions were so visceral that I could feel my body react and recoil. This book opened my eyes to a world I have never been part of- a world filled with need and hunger.; a world filled with brutality. My heart ached for JoJo and his sister Kayla and for their maternal grandparents, who always tried to live honourably. They both have a special bond with their grandparents. Their mother, Leonie is an on again off again presence in their lives as her drug use is more important to her. Their father is just being released from jail and Leonie forces her kids to come on a "road trip" to pick him up. That road trip left me drained. What those children are exposed to is unbelievable. Yet I know this is not that unusual in our world today.
JoJo, Kayla and their mother, Leonie had a gift- their gift was being able to see lingering spirits and commune with them. I wasn't sure about this element of the book, despite the fact that the book was brilliant. Highly recommend this book.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this well-written, engrossing novel. While I won't use it in teaching, I will recommend it to others!

This book fills up every part of your body and brain. There is nothing left of you, and only Jesmyn Ward's words remain. There is so much aching, so much unbearable weight. You can be flattened with unbelievable sorrow in one paragraph, and spotting flickers of hope and light in the next. While there are many books set in the Deep South, Jesmyn Ward brings something profound and original to the setting.