Winter's Bone

Winter’s Bone

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            Winter’s Bone is an excellent book written by Daniel Woodrell. In this captivating novel, Woodrell is able to pull you into the backwoods lives of a culture that seems to be left back in time and keep you hanging on every word to see what is next.

            This book follows the life of a sixteen year old girl who has had less than a fortunate upbringing. Young Ree Dolly is tasked with trying to provide for and raise her two younger brothers. Her mother also lives with her, but is suffering from a debilitating mental illness that leaves her unable to care for her children or herself.

Ree’s father, Jessup Dolly, is a drug manufacturing convict who is on the run from the law and has left his family to fend for themselves. Jessup has put the family’s property up as collateral for his bail and now has not shown up for his scheduled court date. This selfish act has put the whole family at risk for losing there home with no way to pay for alternate housing.

Ree has taken on the mission of finding her father to save the family home. Woodrell has you following this child through the Ozark countryside in her search. Ree is forced to deal with drug dealers, thieves, and scoundrels to find her father. But to no avail. She is beaten lied to and taken advantage of by most of the people she comes in contact with.

Ree has taken on the roll of mother to her two younger brothers. She teaches them to cook with the little food that they do have. She teaches them to hunt squirrel to put food on the table. She also teaches the brothers to fight to protect themselves in this rough existence that they must endure.

Woodrell does an outstanding job bringing life to these characters. He has a poetic way of painting a picture of the Ozark Mountains that makes feels as if you could feel, touch, taste, and see them as if you were there. Click here for more info on the Ozarks. To this point I have thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to see what is going to happen to Ree and her family.