Winter's Bone

By:

Synopsis
Ree Dolly's father has skipped bail on charges that he ran a crystal meth lab, and the Dollys will lose their house if he doesn't show up for his next court date. With two young brothers depending on her, 16-year-old Ree knows she has to bring her father back, dead or alive. Living in the harsh poverty of the Ozarks, Ree learns quickly that asking questions of the rough Dolly clan can be a fatal mistake. But, as an unsettling revelation lurks, Ree discovers unforeseen depths in herself and in a family network that protects its own at any cost.
Copyright:
2006

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
ISBN-13:
9780316007382
Publisher:
Little, Brown and Company
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Daniel Woodrell
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
Literature and Fiction
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

Reviews

4 out of 5

By on

This was my introduction to Woodrell, and like the movie that was based on it, Winter's Bone is an exceedingly bleak affair. Set way back in the Ozarks, this story could've conceivably taken place at any time over the last century, but for the cars, TV and meth involved. Ree Dolly is a girl with a lot on her plate, with a no-good father who usually isn't around (mostly in jail or running from the law), a mother whose cheese has permanently slid off her cracker, two younger brothers to look after more or less on her own, and a host of secretive, brutish relatives. No joke: these people are HARD! It's a place where dreams wither and die before they have a chance to flower. Basically, Ree's daddy has put the house up as bail, but has since gone missing, and unless Ree can find him, they're out on the hills. But her various shady relations have their own reasons for NOT wanting her to find him, and family or not, could really care less about what happens to her and her brothers. Even with a handful of contemporary references (kept vague on purpose, I bet), it's impossible to tell exactly when this story takes place, which lends it a timeless, echoes-of-the-ancient feel. The writing is devoid of Woodrell's usual sly humor. Other books have an almost Larry McMurtry-like brand of tragicomedy to them), but Winter's Bone is grim all the way. Definitely not a feel-good read, but one that'll stick in your head for a long time.