Stevie‘s review of Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
African American Magical Realism Literary Fiction published by Scribner 05 Sep 17
I loved Jesmyn Ward’s first book, which was finally published in the UK last year, and was very keen to read more of her work, particularly this novel, set once again amongst some of the poorest families in the southern United States. In fact, at one point two characters from the earlier novel get a cameo in this one, although I won’t spoil the surprise entirely as to whom we see again or when. As with Salvage the Bones, this book tells the story of a young teenager taking on adult responsibilities far too early; however, the central character is a boy this time and, unlike before, we get to know a little more of the adults’ stories directly as well.
Jo-Jo is thirteen and being raised, along with his toddler sister, by his Black grandparents. His mother is frequently absent or recovering from drink and drugs binges, while his White father first left the family, and then was imprisoned. Now, though, Jo-Jo’s grandmother is dying of cancer, and his father is about to be released. Against her parents’ wishes, Jo-Jo’s mother takes her children – and a fellow waitress from the bar where she works – on a road trip to meet her man as he leaves the State Penitentiary. As they travel, Jo-Jo thinks over what he knows of the prison where both his father and grandfather have served time, and wonders why his grandfather has never told him how the stories he tells of those days came to an end.
Both Jo-Jo and his mother see ghosts: she sees her dead brother, killed – in anger, or an accident – by a relative of the man she loves, while Jo-Jo is haunted by the young boy – a year younger than he is now – whom his grandfather befriended while in prison but who apparently died there. Like Jo-Jo, the ghost boy wants to know how his story ends, but to do so they both have to learn just how harsh life in prison could be for Black inmates in times past.
I liked this book a lot, although not quite as much as the author’s previous work. Jo-Jo was a very engaging character and, while his mother was highly flawed, there was a streak of determination within her that could still be admired. The harsh realities of the road trip reminded me of a shorter, if still uncomfortable, journey I made across California and Nevada in the height of summer many years ago, and made me very glad that my travelling companions then were far less troublesome than Jo-Jo’s. I also enjoyed the stories within stories that contrasted Jo-Jo’s life with that of his parents and grandparents. Ultimately, it was difficult to get away from the fact that his parents were quite selfish individuals, and I was left with a nagging worry that life was not going to get markedly better for either of their children in the long term.
Grade: B
Summary:
Jojo is thirteen years old and trying to understand what it means to be a man. He doesn’t lack in fathers to study, chief among them his Black grandfather, Pop. But there are other men who complicate his understanding: his absent White father, Michael, who is being released from prison; his absent White grandfather, Big Joseph, who won’t acknowledge his existence; and the memories of his dead uncle, Given, who died as a teenager.
His mother, Leonie, is an inconsistent presence in his and his toddler sister’s lives. She is an imperfect mother in constant conflict with herself and those around her. She is Black and her children’s father is White. She wants to be a better mother but can’t put her children above her own needs, especially her drug use. Simultaneously tormented and comforted by visions of her dead brother, which only come to her when she’s high, Leonie is embattled in ways that reflect the brutal reality of her circumstances.
When the children’s father is released from prison, Leonie packs her kids and a friend into her car and drives north to the heart of Mississippi and Parchman Farm, the State Penitentiary. At Parchman, there is another thirteen-year-old boy, the ghost of a dead inmate who carries all of the ugly history of the South with him in his wandering. He too has something to teach Jojo about fathers and sons, about legacies, about violence, about love.
Read an excerpt.
