Contemporary Fiction: Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

It certainly seems strange to me that I have never read one of Jacqueline Woodson's books. She has had such a long career and published so many novels, the latest of which is Red at the Bone. It is possible I had read Last Summer with Maizon as a kid, as I do vaguely remember it being on one of the bookshelves at home, but I cannot recall for sure. Either way, I have now remedied the issue and hope to read many more.

The Situation: It is 2001 in Brooklyn, New York and Melody is having her coming-of-age party. In a small brownstone apartment are her family and friends, as well as a small orchestra, and they are all waiting for her to make her entrance. When it came to the music she would walk out to, she had to fight her mother on it, insistent that it had to be Prince, and she won. She gets ready to walk out in front of the crowd who has gathered just for her, wearing a dress that may be custom-made, but it was not custom-made for her. Iris, Melody's mother, was supposed to have worn that dress herself 16 years earlier, but her coming-of-age party never happened. Once it was discovered she was pregnant at 15, all plans for her life were either delayed, or put off completely.

The Problem: The choice of music for Melody's party was not the only thing Melody and Iris had a hard time agreeing on. The two of them simply did not see eye to eye on much, and it is clear that while Melody has Iris' features, she is much closer to her father, Aubrey. But Melody's history does not begin with the night Iris and Aubrey neglected to wear protection. It goes back to her grandparents, and their parents, and events and choices that were made way before her time. And when Iris decides that motherhood is not for her and escapes to recapture her own freedom, it is not only Aubrey who takes up the slack, but an entire household. Through the voice of each one of them, and jumping from the past to the present, Melody grows up to become her own person, revealing all of the small decisions that brought her here.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a fiction novel set mostly in Brooklyn. Opening in 2001 at Melody's coming-of-age party, the book then moves back and forth through time as each character tells the story of how the girl, as well as the entire family, came to be where they are today. At the center is when Iris and Aubrey became parents as teenagers. But there is also the family's history in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a place that grandmother swears she will never go, and even their time in Chicago, before moving to Brooklyn. There is the story of how Aubrey came to live with Iris' parents, which would ultimately cause him to be the parent Melody related to best, as Iris leaves Brooklyn for college, and never quite returns. Naturally, since the book opens in 2001 and in New York City, there is mention of the attacks of September 11th, though briefly, and not directly. But they are there, and the effects on the family are devastating. This book explores what it takes to raise a child, and how the different, seemingly small choices that we make can affect generations.

My Verdict: I liked the book well enough, but did not connect to it as much as I had hoped. It could be the length, as it is less than 200 pages. Perhaps if it had gone on a bit longer I would have become more invested in the story. With that said, the characters are fantastic, and wonderfully well-rounded despite each one having to share the narrative spotlight, which means the reader does not get much time with some of them. I would have liked to hear more from Melody, though it makes sense for the book to focus mostly on Iris and Aubrey. I can certainly understand why the book has received so much praise, but I think I wanted a little more from it.

Favorite Moment: When Melody described the concert she went to with Aubrey, the two of them knowing every word.

Favorite Character: As is the case in many black families, the grandmother is the backbone, seemingly holding everyone and everything together, when it seems that it all should be falling apart. 

Recommended Reading: I recommend Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward, which explores a family in which the grandparents take care of the grandchildren, not because the parents are absent, but more because they lack parental instinct.