Originally published on January 25, 2021 | Last updated on February 11, 2024
Hello! I hope your January has been going well, despite everything that’s going on in the world at the moment. For my first post of the year, I thought I’d talk about books! I’ve always been an avid reader, but I didn’t read as many books as I would have liked to last year. So, although I’m not setting a particular reading goal to reach, I’m taking it upon myself to read more in 2021. I thought it would be fun to share my thoughts on some of the books I read- hence this post. Today, I’m sharing two recent reads:
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
This was the first book I read in 2021, and what a great read it was! Salvage the Bones is a tale about an African American family in rural Mississippi preparing for Hurricane Katrina. It deals with the themes of poverty, loss, survival, motherhood, family and community.
Taking place over the twelve days leading up to Hurricane Katrina’s arrival, the novel is written through the eyes of pregnant fourteen-year-old, Esch. She lives with her three brothers and an alcoholic father. She is surrounded by males; we learn that her mother died in childbirth. We are shown the challenges of this family’s day to day life living in a rural impoverished town. Salvage the Bones starts with the birth of puppies to a pitbull, China, who is being groomed for fighting by Esch’s brother, Skeetah. Later in the book, China is brought to fight another dog in a chapter that is described very vividly. The violent dogfight foreshadows the ruthless intensity of impending Hurricane Katrina.
I really enjoyed Ward’s lyrical prose and well-developed characters. I found the novel to be very easy to read and escape into. Although there are some extremely brutal and gritty scenes, the novel strongly displays the power of love, loyalty and hope. A heart-wrenching but beautifully written novel!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
N-W by Zadie Smith
As I’d read and enjoyed a few of Zadie Smith’s novels already, I decided to read N-W, which follows four northwest London locals—Leah, Natalie, Felix, and Nathan—as they try to make adult lives outside of Caldwell, the council estate of their childhood.
What I really like about the novel is how Smith vividly captures London life and brings the neighbourhood to life. Through her descriptions, you can easily picture the locations she describes. I also like her realistic and believable characters, who are flawed with complex personalities. Through her use of dialogue, she captures the voice of her characters very well; their slang, speech patterns and stories. N-W deals with some interesting themes including race, class, friendship and identity.
This novel has a fragmented structure to it, which didn’t work for me if I’m honest. I don’t know if it’s because I’d just read Salvage the Bone’s lyrical prose before I started reading N-W, but I found it hard to follow and offputting at times. It just didn’t flow well for me. The novel also lacks a plot, which is why it’s difficult to try to describe the story.
Overall, I would say it’s a good read. I was a little disappointed, but I enjoyed the real characters and vivid imagery.
⭐⭐⭐ 3/5
What have you been reading lately?
