Sing, Unburied, Sing
*** LISA'S Review
By
Jesmyn Ward
The
book Title and cover art kind of threw me. It wasn't until I had
read the book that I understood the relationship of the
story/title/cover art. I wasn't a big fan of the cover. I can
imagine many better cover art designs that would, in my opinion, have
drawn the readers eyes and had them grabbing this book off the
shelves. The cover is the reason for only 3 star rating.
I did
enjoy reading this book. The characters are well defined and there
is a strength to each character. The story is set in the MS Delta
and Coastal regions. The author's very poetic descriptions of MS is
thick with visual imagery. Readers will see the fields, the trees,
the beautiful coastal areas – and you will almost break a sweat
visualizing that thick, humid and unrelenting heat of the MS Delta
that is typical of a MS summer.
The
story seems to be set (to me) in the 1970s. The story tells of a
young black girl, her white boyfriend and their 2 bi-racial children.
It includes the racism of decades ago, the harsh truth of drug
addiction, poverty, and the increasingly more common situation of
grandparents raising their grand children.
The
book delves deeply into the legends, folklore and strong spiritual
and cultural beliefs of the South which includes the belief in
“gifts” of psychic abilities that may be inherited by a few. And
ghosts, don't forget the strong belief in ghosts and spirits. The
'grandmother' in the story was a “healer” and seems to have
practiced something similar (if not in fact) voodoo.
If
you like paranormal/ghost stories mixed in with a strong Southern
cultural..... here's your book.
tcg
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