Salvage the Bones

A hurricane is gathering strength in the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the small coastal town of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi. Esch's father, a hard drinker and mostly absent, is suddenly anxious—but for once, it's not the bottle he reaches for. Esch and her three brothers are trying to stock up on food, but there's little to spare. Fourteen and newly pregnant, Esch can barely keep down what she eats. Her brother Skeetah is secretly feeding his pit bull’s fragile newborn litter, pups fading one by one in the dirt. Randall dreams of basketball and escape, while Junior, the youngest, clings to a childhood that’s vanishing too fast.

Over the twelve days that shape Salvage the Bones, their story unfolds with aching beauty and rising tension. Motherless, and raised in a house where love is often scarce but sacrifice runs deep, these children hold each other up as a storm unlike any they've seen draws closer.

Raw, lyrical, and unflinching, Jesmyn Ward’s Salvage the Bones is a powerful portrait of family and resilience in the face of rural poverty, natural disaster, and the enduring need for love and connection.

Winner of the National Book Award. A New York Times Best Book of the 21st Century. An Atlantic Great American Novel of the Last 100 Years.