Winter's Bone

Daniel Woodrell

Ree is the sort of heroine I warm to, resourceful and without self pity. Life amongst these violent backwoods American families (community would be too kind a word) when you’re dirt–poor is no barrel of laughs, but there is humour and support in her life. Her search for her missing father hits brick wall after brick wall but also shows her who she can rely on and ends up giving her choices for the first time in her life. This is an uncomfortable read at times but is certainly worth it.

Extract

Dad could be anywhere.
Dad might think he had reasons to be most anywhere or do most anything, even if the reasons seemed ridiculous in the morning.
One night when Ree was still a bantling Dad had gotten crossways with Buster Leroy Dolly and been shot in the chest clear out by Twin Forks River. He was electric on crank, thrilled to have been shot, and instead of driving to a doctor he drove thirty miles to West Table and the Tiny Spot Tavern to show his assembled buddies the glamorous bullet hole and the blood bubbling. He collapsed grinning and the drunks carried him to the town hospital and nobody thought he'd live to see noon until he did.

Parallels