Review: Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell

Winter's Bone (2006) by Daniel Woodrell

This is the second of four beautifully written books I am reviewing in my Late Spring Reads series.

Set in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, Winter's Bone introduces us to Ree Dolly, a 16-year-old girl who is raising her two younger brothers, while caring for her despondent mother. After her father, Jessup, leaves one morning, a police officer arrives to inform Ree that unless her father reports for his bond hearing, their home and timber lands will be repossessed. Ree sets out to track down her unreliable father, a renowned meth cook, an occupation common in the area. However, she finds everyone guarded and hostile about his whereabouts. The Ozarks have their own laws and code, particularly when they pertain to kin, and transgression is Ree's only option in a desperate attempt to locate her father, dead or alive. Ree has to tangle with some rough characters to get some disturbing answers about her father.

This is a powerful novel that in spite of its gritty context is hopeful. Ree is tough and triumphs at a time when most would have simply skipped town. Woodrell's prose is rich and reflects the dialect spoken in the Ozarks. This is the author's eighth novel in a genre he has dubbed "country noir."

Tomorrow's review is of Incendiary by Chris Cleave.

Other reviews:
Incendiary by Chris Cleave
Going Down Swinging by Billie Livingston
The Girl Without Anyone by Kelli Deeth
Drive-By Saviours by Chris Benjamin
Interview with Author Billie Livingston
Review: The Trouble with Marlene by Billie Livingston
Review: Greedy Little Eyes by Billie Livingston
Interview: Christy Ann Conlin Author of Dead Time
Review of Girls' History and Culture Reader: The Twentieth Century
Dead Time by Christy Ann Conlin
The Social Media Survival Guide by Deltina Hay
The Birth House by Ami McKay
The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis
The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou
Unless by Carol Shields
Essex County by Jeff Lemire

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