All hail the Queen Jesmyn Ward! Bow down book lovers! Sing, Unburied, Sing is a masterpiece, a tour-de-force of storytelling and powerful writing!! I know, I know, I’m late to the party. Everyone has already been celebrating this book for years but I’m here now and I can finally join the chorus of voices cheering this amazing book! Before I even picked it up, I knew it would be good; I’d heard the buzz and read Salvage the Bones so I knew that Ward was magical. But could it live up to the hype? DUH! From the very beginning I was hooked and I could not physically, mentally, or emotionally put this book down.

Sing, Unburied, Sing is one family’s odyssey through rural Mississippi in which the ghosts of the past figuratively and literally haunt the present. Ward explores the lasting effects of racism in the US, the drug epidemic, poverty in the Deep South, identity issues among bi-racial children, the US prison system, and sacred traditions. You’d think the reader would get bogged down by the immensity of this book’s subject matters, but Ward’s distinctive, lyrical writing style create a compelling and breathtaking narrative web that is a sheer joy to explore.

Sing, Unburied, Sing has ALL THREE elements I look for most in a book:
1) The STORY is powerful and urgently needs to be read by everyone.
2) The CHARACTERS are multidimensional, achingly realistic, and unforgettable.
3) The PROSE is beyond beautiful, potent, and totally captivating.

I can’t say enough how much I loved this book and I can’t wait to read what the Queen writes next!

• Title: Sing, Unburied, Sing
• Author: Jesmyn Ward
• Published: September 5, 2017 (Scribner)
• Genre: Fiction, Magical Realism
• Booky Nooky Rating: * * * * *