SALVAGE the BONES.... (continued)

I actually got pretty far in Jesmyn Ward's Salvage the Bones. It kind of feels like a diary-like story, where the story follows the character's day to day lives with no real definite plot or rising action, climax or resolution. Sometimes this can make something a little painful to read because it feels so unproductive, like you're not getting anywhere. This is how I started to feel, but I'm a little more than half way through the book and things are starting to move along. But the book covers 14 days and I guess not a lot can happen in that amount of time. But now finally things got "saucy". China (the dog) is getting sick, the father got three of fingers cut of in an accident involving a tractor and chicken pen (don't ask), and Hurricane Katrina has finally been referenced.
Esch, the main character who is newly pregnant, is still desperately trying to gain the affection of the much older Manny who got her pregnant in the first place. Manny has another girlfriend but sees Esch in secret. Well they don't really "see" each other anymore because Manny is just taking advantage of Esch and doesn't show her any affection and once she shows her affection he pushes her away. Wow, I just realized that this really isn't a school book. Anyway, as a reader you really want to shake Esch, and show her the reality of her relationship with Manny, because she somehow thinks they will be together. She hasn't told him she's pregnant. She hasn't told anyone. I can't stand female characters who mope over guys that clearly don't care for them in return, or weak female characters in general. But I've learnt to give some characters a pass depending on the setting, especially time period and country. Esch often compares herself to the Mythology character Medea. And after researching the story, I'm able to understand the book better. She compares Jason to Manny. In the Story of Jason and the Golden Fleece I'm pretty sure Jason ultimately leaves Medea for another wife despite all Medea has done for him. I'm not sure if Esch gets that if her life and the Golden Fleece are running parallel, that Manny will not be with her in the end.
Some parts of this book is really graphic and some a little bloody. But the description literally pulls the readers into the story and allows you to feel the raw emotions of the characters. Even though half the time Esch annoys me half-to-death, I can't  help feeling bad for her. In the book the fear she projects everyday she wakes up because of her pregnancy, wishing it was just a bad dream. But she just can't wake up from her nightmare (excuse the cliche). I'm the same age and I would absolutely freak out if I was in that situation. I think I would be more afraid of the wrath of my parents than anything. But she doesn't really have the tradition family system like I do. And I'm sure how her alcoholic father would react. But her dread to accept her predicament is really painful to read.
If this book interests you, other books you might like are Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon which is a little less graphic than STB. There is a book called Bronxwood by Coe Booth. I read that in seventh grade which probably wasn't a good idea. It's far worse than STB, and covers more gang violence and how the selling of drugs work. It also follows independent teens who are pretty much raising themselves. Again, NOT recommended. Sometimes I think I shouldn't look too deeply in the dark sketchy corners of the library.

SALVAGE the BONES/ INFINITE Jest

SALVAGE the BONES/INFINITE JEST

Salvage the Bones is probably one of the most avant-garde books I've read in a long time. I haven't gotten very far in it yet but what I got out of it so far is that It's about a fourteen year old girl whose motherless and lives with her alcoholic father father and three brothers, in Mississippi along the Gulf of Mexico. The beginning consists of the birth of China's(their dog) puppies, preparing for a hurricane Katrina, and Esch( the 14 year old girl) getting pregnant. That's as far as I've gotten so far.

My first impression of the book was it's extremely descriptive. And the figurative language is far from cliche and makes you look as things in a different way. Like when Esch's brother Skeetah was holding China."He curled around China like a fingernail around flesh"(Ward 3). I wouldn't really recommend this book for everybody, but it's really good so far. The way I rate books is I compare them so my most favorite book of all time so far. THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett. By far the most awesome book every. Salvage the Bones, subject wise, isn't my favorite, but I can see potential. But still it's no HELP. One thing that stands out is that Salvage the bones is the epitome of TMI ( too much information. But not in a bad way, it adds character to the book and sets it apart. But if you're not open-minded it's probably not the book for you. It does have some p-13 content, for warning. And follows a African American family.

I'm still reading Infinite Jest but since it's a really long book, I'm going to read different smaller books in between it. Salvage the bones is an fairly easy book but there is some in between lines thinking and if you skim too much you'll miss something important. In the book Esch compares herself to a character in mythology, which I have to look up to understand what she means in certain situations. Infinite Jest feels like a Forest Gump kind of story the way there's so much going on and there are like three completely different stories going on and they somehow they come together and make sense. Like I thought that it would be a simple book about a struggling tennis prodigy, Hal, trying to get into college.  But then you find out there's something about drug abuse and a rehabilitation center. And then there's family issues and affairs. And not to mention the most important part of the book, The Entertainment, which is a filmed made by Hal's father. The Entertainment also known as Infinite Jest (hint,hint) is a deadly movie because it's so seductive (excuse my word choice) that people watch it until they die. It stars Hal's Brother Orin's girlfriend, Joelle, who is supposed to be very beautiful and might have had a relationship with their father. Hint, the family issues. So somehow author David Foster connected drugs ,tennis and film. Regardless of the length of the book, I'm really excited to dig deeper into it.