Red at the Bone a beautiful and powerful story about a family through the generations, shifting in perspective and time as we follow each family member’s reflections on their own choices as a young person and how those choices have echoed through the years. 

This one started a little slow and muddled for me but I shouldn’t have doubted Woodson and the power of her words. It really hit its mark about two-thirds in and I was taken in completely. It’s an absolutely devastating read, and even though several of the climax points were hinted at I was stunned by the end. 

I do wish some things weren’t left as ambiguous. With so many shifts between characters’ perspectives, we get mentions of moments that are brought up again later with another character but many were left unanswered. Some of the math around characters’ ages also seemed to contradict points of the narration, especially as we don’t get solid dates beyond when the book starts.