Red at the Bone

Lots of big themes and authentic voices for such a short novel. Told from multiple perspectives, at its center this is story of an underage pregnancy and the relationships both leading up to it and resulting in its wake and the systems, pressures and desires that are bigger than individual choices.

3.5 stars

Woodson is such an excellent writer. She conveys an emotional thrust so effortlessly across the page and that makes it difficult to put her writing down. This is a nice story but I didn't connect and it was over so fast I hardly had time to consider what I was reading. The sheer force of Woodson's writing elevates the story but I really wish it were a more ambitious work.