Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward is undeniably a beautifully written book and emotional story. It follows Jojo, a thirteen year old boy, his baby sister Kayla, and their mom Leonie as they set out on a long drive (with one of Leonie’s friends in tow) to pick up Jojo and Kayla’s father, Michael, from prison. 

The perspective oscillates between Jojo and Leonie. The family lives with Leonie’s parents, Mam and Pop. Mam is dying of cancer and Pop carries his own burdens. Leonie is not a good parent to Jojo and Kayla. She struggles with drug addiction and sees visions of her dead brother Given whenever she gets high. Jojo cares for Kayla because Leonie can’t (or won’t), and has too much responsibility for an thirteen year old. Jojo at least has Pop as a father figure, but Leonie is wants Jojo to see Michael in that way, despite Michael’s absence from Jojo’s life. 

I feel like Jesmyn tries to make you feel for Leonie, and see her perspective, and while I could a little bit, I couldn’t forgive her selfishness and cruelty towards her children. When Kayla gets sick on the car ride, Leonie doesn’t take it seriously and instead is bitter that Kayla reaches for Jojo instead of her. Leonie repeatedly chooses drugs and her own self interests over those of her family. When a cop points a gun at Jojo, Leonie doesn’t try and protect him. I guess how I felt is how Jojo also felt, only he was stuck with her. It was no surprise that she consistently disappointed him. 

The language in this book is descriptive and really sets the scene. I felt for Jojo and Kayla the whole time. The tension built up during the car ride can be felt through the pages. However, the ghosts that haunt the family were a bit much for my liking. Some parts of the book seemed a little random and unnecessary, some parts felt contrived and unbelievable, and some parts dragged on and on. 

Overall, I can see why people are moved by this book. While I enjoyed it, I just didn’t have the connection with it that I would have liked. I’d still recommend it to fans of Jesmyn Ward and people who like family dramas and a descriptive setting in the deep south.