Tragically thrilling are the words that come to mind as regards the book, “Winter’s Bone.” The determination and resilience of the main character, Ree, made it an enjoyable read. She is a strong character, probably too strong for her age.
The names (and nicknames) of the characters were interesting, but the language and dialogue took a while to figure out, probably because there was some dialect in the dialogue. The description of the landscape, setting, and actions was vivid, especially because of the use of poetic descriptive words. The fact that Ree walked almost everywhere gives a reason to describe the landscape.
It’s a simplistic plot, and though I could accurately guess the result of Ree’s fact-finding mission, the accompanying action drama along the way made it a compelling read. She learned how strong she was, and how weak she was also. The novel is also from her point of view because hardly anything happened without her being there.
The book is grim and mean, and tough love is the only expression of emotion that is available. There is also a strong Patriarchal type of system in place in the communities. It’s funny how the tribal living in the communities, showing how everyone is related, was not of relevance, as they were so readily willing to kill one other.
Ree is considered an outsider because she doesn’t want to become a “crank chef.” She is a part of the moral code (i.e. don’t be a snitch/don’t talk to the police) yet she is against a lot of what is being done in the communities i.e. drug making and drug taking (addiction). Words like “crank” and “doogie” got me checking the “slang dictionary” to ascertain the meaning.
Crank: powdered substituted amphetamines, especially methamphetamine
Doogie: marijuana cigarette/joint
It’s also a different drug culture from what we know/ see in movies and music videos, where people are always being flashy and showing off their wealth. But in this book, their lives were simple and moderate.
The relationship between Ree and Gail is interesting, though it was vague and not labeled. There are some other unanswered questions that would have been good to know, these include:
Will Ree sell the land, buy the wheels, and leave?
Would she stay and allow the boys to become crank chefs?
When will Sonny get to know the “open secret” of his real father?
Is Teardrops the father of Ree?
But it was also better left for the readers to reminisce upon. That’s what a good book is supposed to do. So what made the book Tragically Thrilling? This is drawn from the conclusion of the book.
Thrilling that she and her family found closure and got to keep their house and property. But tragic that Jessup was killed and Teardrops would mostly end up dead too, as he was able to figure out his brother’s killer, and was going to take revenge.
Signed
Olumide Holloway (King Olulu)
