Set in rural Mississippi, the novel weaves a poignant tale of a struggling African American family grappling with poverty, addiction, and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The narrative alternates between the perspectives of Jojo, a thirteen-year-old boy, and his mother, Leonie, as they embark on a journey to retrieve Jojo's father from prison. Along the way, they confront personal and familial ghosts, both literal and metaphorical, that haunt their lives. Through its lyrical prose, the story explores themes of love, loss, and resilience, highlighting the enduring bonds that connect the living and the dead.
Jesmyn Ward is the author of Where the Line Bleeds, Salvage the Bones, and Men We Reaped. She is a former Stegner Fellow (Stanford University) and Grisham Writer in Residence at the University of Mississippi. She is an associate professor of Creative Writing at Tulane University.
Her work has appeared in BOMB, A Public Space and The Oxford American.
Read more
