Review: Sing, Unburied, Sing

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.

Ward, winner of the 2011 National Book Award for her stunning Salvage the Bones has given us another searing novel with an elegiac tone about a family, comprising Mam and Pop (grandparents), Leonie their daughter and marginal mother to JoJo, her 13-year-old son, and Kayla, her three-year-old daughter. Other members of the family include Michael, father of Jojo and Kayla, Given, Leonie's brother, and Richie, who was sort of extended family to Pop, who went by the nickname Riv in his younger days.

After introducing us to the family members with POV chapters, Ward draws us into a harrowing tale mingling both recollections of the brutal past of Parchman Farm, aka the Mississippi State Penitentiary, and the forthcoming release of Michael from prison at the Penitentiary. Jojo is both fascinated and horrified by Pop's personal history at Parchman as a teenager. Pop is haunted by his memories of that time. The devastating revelations by the end of the book leave the reader feeling immense sorrow for this kind and gentle man. The imminent loss of Mam to cancer makes his part of the story heartbreaking, for he has already lost so much. The spectral figures of Richie, who Pop tried to shield from the harsh life at Parchman, and Given, Pop's proud and magnificent son, provide heart-piercing elements to the story, bookending a awful road trip that Leonie, Jojo, Kayla and Leonie's friend Misty take to pick up Michael when he is released from prison.

Leonie's problems with addiction, her neglect of her children all while recognizing that neglect, are poignantly rendered. Jojo, who clearly hopes for a better life for himself and his beloved baby sister, is a memorably written character. His loving admiration of Mam and Pop, the closest thing he has to parents, and his devoted love for his sister, are opposed by the growing horror of his father and father's family, an opposition that becomes painful to read. Michael's return to the family's home proves crushing in so many ways for Jojo and Kayla.

This is a beautifully written book that will stay with the reader.

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