Book Review: Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Originally published on the 19^th of September 2019, Jacqueline Woodson moves forward and backward in time with the powerful novel that “uncovers the role that history and community have played in the experiences, decisions, and relationships” of a family. In the book, Melody has turned 16 and her family hosts a coming-of-age ceremony in her honour, which is a long-standing tradition; through this party, each family member reflects on Melody’s life, their own past, and the ways their relationship has evolved. This unique experience is what begins the “exploration of what makes a good or bad parent, and how confining societal expectations can be, especially for young women”.

Plot:

“As the book opens in 2001, it is the evening of sixteen-year-old Melody’s coming of age ceremony in her grandparents’ Brooklyn brownstone. Watched lovingly by her relatives and friends, making her entrance to the music of Prince, she wears a special custom-made dress. But the event is not without poignancy. Sixteen years earlier, that very dress was measured and sewn for a different wearer: Melody’s mother, for her own ceremony– a celebration that ultimately never took place. Unfurling the history of Melody’s parents and grandparents to show how they all arrived at this moment, Woodson considers not just their ambitions and successes but also the costs, the tolls they’ve paid for striving to overcome expectations and escape the pull of history. As it explores sexual desire and identity, ambition, gentrification, education, class and status, and the life-altering facts of parenthood, Red at the Bone most strikingly looks at the ways in which young people must so often make long-lasting decisions about their lives–even before they have begun to figure out who they are and what they want to be.”

The book is beautifully written with emotional and heart-warming details within every character’s backstory. The story starts with Melody’s jump into adulthood and the memorable tradition that her family have held for years; from then on, we move through each character and watch memories unfold in the cleanest way possible. It never feels like something has been cut off or we are moving too quickly, as each character development seen through the past events to how they are in the present is laced together as one big bow at the birthday celebration for Melody.

User ‘Nilufer Ozmekik’ on Goodreads said, “This book is about self-discovery, racism, family bound, hunger, poorness, life choices, facing your real emotions. It starts with the first step of Melody and ends with her next biggest step in her life.”

The above description could not have been put in any better way, because that is essentially what ‘Red at the Bone’ is all about. It would be an understatement to say that the author is a gifted storyteller, since it is not easy being in the present and going through so many other past moments with so many different themes to pull together and not only make sense to the readers, but also tug at their emotions. As a short read, this was packed with a lot more than what I have read in larger books.

Check out Jacqueline Woodson reading a piece from her book ‘Red at the Bone’: