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.
When reading books about disasters that have really happened, whether they be natural occurrences or man-made, specifically those that have happened in recent history, I always start them with a feeling of apprehension. I am afraid of the story being over dramatized or obviously false or something. Just obviously fiction. Some might argue that I should read non-fiction about the certain topic, but it’s different. It’s hard to tell a story about something that most of your audience remembers or has some affiliation to– whether it’s through personal experience, hearing the experience of a friend, or reading the newspaper (or online news source, as it were).
With this all said, however, I felt as though Jesmyn Ward did a fantastic job at incorporating a disaster (note Katrina happened in 2005) into her story line. The book wasn’t about Katrina, but it let for a great backdrop and literary device. The hurricane, I think, really only made its presence known for about two chapters, but it was perfect that way. You were allowed to get to know the family, their problems, their neighbors, etc. etc. before adding the outside turmoil.
As it opens, you meet a family that is already somewhat… dysfuntional. Not in a Royal Tenenbaums way but more in a way of despair. If you were to ask the characters if they thought of themselves in this way, I would say they would deny it, but from someone looking in from the outside, there is a certain feeling of, well, dysfunction. The mother is dead, the father is a drunk, there is poverty, dog fighting, etc. etc. I suppose all our families have their dysfunctions, but we’ve learned to deal with those. Looking at someone else’s always lends itself to be more noticed, shall we say.
There are four siblings in total, but you read the story through the eyes of Esch, the only girl in the family. Esch is pregnant and the stabilizing force of the family. Esch has three brothers: Randall, Skeetah, and Junior. Randall is a basketball fanatic and the only sibling that really seems to want to get out of dodge, using basketball as his vehicle. Skeetah, who is closest to Esch, is the brother that understands dogs more than humans. I found him to be extremely frustrating for pretty much the whole novel. Finally there is little Junior. Junior is the youngest and still very dependent on the rest of his family.
Throughout the story, you see how their interactions, their hopes, dreams, and selfishness influence the rest of the family. It’s only a few weeks snippit of their lives, but it’s adequate enough to get a feeling for the family. To pick favorites, to hate some and love others. You see them go through adversity and come out of it, and you see what has changed within them and what hasn’t. The ending is good and ties up well, and I was happy for it. It really was a great first read of the year.
Just to mention a few topics that popped into my head but found no place up there, I was struck by Esch’s attitude towards sex. It was very odd to me. She didn’t really see it as most people do, or more specifically, most girls do. She was very nonchalant about it, but I wouldn’t peg her as an, excuse me for the term, slut. She just sort of saw it as something that happens, that needs to happen. I don’t want to say that she was oversexed, because I don’t think that’s it. I just think it’s something that wasn’t taboo to her. Just thoughts.
Next, I am totally new to the arena of dog fighting. I know absolutely nothing (nor do I really want to) about it aside from the fact that Michael Vick is tied to it. With that said, it was interesting and disturbing to read about. To see such a vicious game play out between these animals and their owners and yet to see absolute adoration and dedication in the character Skeetah to his dog. It wasn’t just dedication in the way of ownership but love and understanding. Random thoughts, keep on bubbling!
I would recommend it to those who like Southern lit and family dramas with a splash of dog fighting.
P.S. #1 : Thanks to Lu from Regular Rumination for sending me this for my birthday. You’re grrrreat, and I miss you!
P.S. #2 : Please excuse my popcorn writing! I am just trying to get back into this blogging thing 
Missed you guys. Truly.
What had happened to my beautiful boy? To our family?What did I do wrong? Those are the wrenching questions that haunted every moment of David Sheff ’s journey through his son Nic’s addiction to drugs and tentative steps toward recovery. Before Nic Sheff became addicted to crystal meth, he was a charming boy, joyous and funny, a varsity athlete and honor student adored by his two younger siblings. After meth, he was a trembling wraith who lied, stole, and lived on the streets.David Sheff traces the first subtle warning signs: the denial, the 3 A.M. phone calls (is it Nic? the police? the hospital?), the rehabs.His preoccupation with Nic became an addiction in itself, and the obsessive worry and stress took a tremendous toll. But as a journalist, he instinctively researched every avenue of treatment that might save his son and refused to give up on Nic. Beautiful Boy is a fiercely candid memoir that brings immediacy to the emotional rollercoaster of loving a child who seems beyond help.
