Salvage the Bones

A Novel

By: Jesmyn Ward

Narrated by: January LaVoy

Bloomsbury presents Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward, read by January LaVoy.

Winner of the National Book Award
A New York Times Best Book of the 21st Century
An Atlantic Great American Novel of the Last 100 Years

"A taut, wily novel, smartly plotted and voluptuously written . . . Jesmyn Ward makes beautiful music, plays deftly with her reader’s expectations." —Parul Sehgal, New York Times

The National Book Award-winning novel from the author of Let Us Descend and Men We Reaped—a gritty but tender story of family and poverty in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina.

A hurricane is building over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the coastal town of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, and Esch's father is growing concerned. A hard drinker, largely absent, he doesn't show concern for much else. Esch and her three brothers are stocking food, but there isn't much to save. Lately, Esch can't keep down what food she gets; she's fourteen and pregnant. Her brother Skeetah is sneaking scraps for his prized pitbull's new litter, dying one by one in the dirt. Meanwhile, brothers Randall and Junior try to stake their claim in a family long on child's play and short on parenting.

As the twelve days that make up the novel's framework yield to their dramatic conclusion, this unforgettable family—motherless children sacrificing for one another as they can, protecting and nurturing where love is scarce—pulls itself up to face another day. A big-hearted novel about familial love and community against all odds, and a wrenching look at the lonesome, brutal, and restrictive realities of rural poverty, Salvage the Bones is muscled with poetry, revelatory, and real.

©2011 Jesmyn Ward (P)2021 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Critic reviews

"There's something of Faulkner to Ward's grand diction, which rolls between teenspeak...and the larger, incantatory rhythms of myth. She's fearless about her passion coming out purple, and for the most part the intensity of her story carries it off." (The Paris Review)

Raw, realistic, and human

My immediate conclusion right off the bat: this book made me uncomfortable in ways I feel I need to be made uncomfortable, and a few I didn't realize were necessary. This is not an easy read. This is not a pleasant read. And it shouldn't be. Great art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed, and this does that in spades. I had to set this down and come back to it when I felt I was in a stronger mental state to handle it, and this book is one of maybe...three?...to hold that distinction. If I were to levy complaint against this work, my only gripe is the personal taste matter of an abundance (in my subjective taste, overabundance) of similes that rapidly became stumbling points for me personally, and while they were vivid and descriptive and likely necessary, at one or two points I did find myself actively thinking they were laid on a bit much. again, that is my personal opinion as far as stylistic choices, and should not reflect the quality of the work as a whole. maybe that's one of the hallmarks of Gothic writing (I found this listed as Gothic fiction I should read) that I haven't picked up on or at least hadn't registered until now, that is entirely possible. still, the story is fantastic and phenomenal and should not be read unless you are in a mindset that is able to handle being challenged and taken outside of your everyday experience.

a beautiful portrait of life, family, and survival

the voice of the reader is superb, just the right amount of southern affectation. the writing has a unique lyricism and rhythm. the story ended and I wanted more, the characters are so rich and so loveable, simple human beings striving under an angry sky. a beautiful harrowing personal intimate look at surviving hurricane Katrina. I love that the Katrina is not the focus of the story but rather the backdrop, in this we get to glimpse into the special, beautiful- ugly of the lives of this family. it evoked a very gentle stubborn ache in my soul. I'm grateful for having read it.

Phenomenal

Here I am two years later, leaving a review. I feel even more compelled to leave a review because of the very harsh and ‘pity party’ comments left here, which are not really reviews, just opinions. I am embarrassed by them. I hope the author never gets to see them.
A strong piece of fiction, based on a real story, is written to make you FEEL! When a black author can make me, a white middle-aged privileged female, weep in compassion and understanding, then her writing is phenomenal. Jasmyn has done a superb job. I loved all the metaphors. I loved the Medea ‘story with the story.’ Genius.
People, If you want happy endings, just read a fairytale. This is based on a real story where there were no happy endings, especially when people live in deep poverty, and are forsaken by their community. The strength, fortitude, and connectedness of the family was very obvious. The fact that she picked the most vulnerable of the whole group, a young pregnant teen, to be the narrator was genius, especially with the connection to China and the fact that their mother had passed away. I did not think the dog scenes were overly graphic. This is a real life, people! If you can’t handle reading a book because it’s too depressing, can you imagine having to have lived through that?? In fact, research shows that reading tough fiction makes a reader more compassionate.
When Big Henry said that the baby does have a father, many fathers, I wept For his kindness.
The narrator was phenomenal too. I am grateful. I will highly recommend it. Our book club was moved and challenged. The news stories never gave the full depth and breadth of the horror and devastation.

Beautifully written, hard to read

The characters are strong and loving individuals who have a very hard life as very poor people — and that’s before they are assaulted by Hurricane Katrina. Wonderfully written descriptions of some extremely painful scenes.

Really Great Read

I had to read this for a class in college and it was very well written and narrated. Made me tear up a couple of times and I was very invested in the characters. Would recommend.

Edge of your seat, listening 

You know how it is when you’re listening to an audiobook and it’s so good you know you’ve got other things to do that you need to take care of and not listen but you can’t stop? This is that book. 

A literary wonder

The strong storyline and rich characters are elevated by the language and metaphors used to tell the story. This book is not for the squeamish as there is blood and sex, but I was enraptured by it.

Jesmyn Ward is a lyrical writer.

Ward’s description throughout this heartbreaking story puts the reader in the eye of the storm.

Beautiful and Heartbreaking

Narrator January LaVoy read Jesmyn Ward’s Salvage the Bones with the depth of a true storyteller. The story was rich, engaging, and heartbreaking.

Poetic and poignant

I really enjoyed the visceral imagery of the metaphors and the poignant symbolism. It alludes classical tales to a very real event that people lived through recently, deepening its meaning, and connecting catastrophes and the human lives impacted by them throughout human history.