THE SUNDAY READS BOOK CLUB
Of all the Sunday indulgences, diving into a good book has to be our most cherished. Whether it’s a stirring work of fiction, a collection of short stories, a cookbook that reads like a novel or a book so funny it has us spluttering tea all down our PJs (David Sedaris, we’re looking at you), reading has come to embody everything we love about home - slowing down, switching off our phones and escaping into another world from our couch. It’s been a long time coming, but this year we finally launched our very own Sunday Reads book club, in collaboration with the prestigious imprint W&N. First on our reading list was Red at the Bone, a story by Jaqueline Woodson exploring the cross-generational effects of trauma, delving into issues like family, race, motherhood, and sexuality. Here, our members share their thoughtful and honest responses. Let us know your own thoughts in the comments section!
PK
This tale embracing regrets and doubts as simply as it embraced courage and gentleness was enthralling. Each chapter unfolded another part of Iris and Aubrey, another joyful moment between Aubrey and Melody, another past brought into the present memory of Po’Boy and Sabe, and all wrapped up in Brooklyn.
I have very fond memories of Brooklyn, a place alive, a little on the wild side. I once found a well-known award-winning photographer clearing out some photos from his brimming full basement lab and selling them on the sidewalk. Snapped a few of the stills he had - all in a fleeting moment. This is how Jacqueline Woodson’s book captures moments and lengthens and shortens them. What a wonderful presentation of reality and memories.
Overall a book I will cherish for its stark stacking of contrasts - simple language for complex emotions, short sentences for long memories, low esteem for high social structures. Beautifully written.
I will be sharing the book with a good friend for their thoughts to let the circle be unbroken.
MURIEL URQUHART
I absolutely loved this book which almost surprised me as I would not have chosen to read it myself but I am so glad I did and am so pleased to have been chosen to be part of the Desmond and Dempsey book club.
The story centers around a teenage pregnancy (nothing new there) and the effect that has on three generations of the same family. This is where it gets interesting. I loved the different perspectives. How the same thing affected the parents, grandparents, and child all in totally different ways. Perhaps it’s the stage in life that I’ve reached myself with our children all having reached late teens to young adulthood but it really made me think about how things that happen in our lives affect us all so differently and how each generation looks at the same issue with completely different viewpoints.
The story deals with many issues that affect us and can cause division between each generation; faith, morality, gender equality, sexual desire and orientation, parenting, and class. It such a beautifully written story. Not a single word is wasted yet the tale is carefully and thoughtfully written with all the detail you need to understand each character and where they are coming from.
I am passing this book on to my 20-year-old daughter and then to my mother-in-law and I am confident they will both enjoy it as much as I did and perhaps it will help us all to remember that we come at life with different perspectives and to consider how our actions can affect the older and younger generation in entirely different ways.
LUANA ASIATA
A beautifully written story about the complexities of family life. Totally relatable and relevant, especially in the current climate where class, gender, and race are questioned every day.
CHLOE SCOTT
I loved this book! Red at the Bone was a powerful and emotional read. It touches on so many relevant issues - family relationships, race, sexuality - but is still totally accessible and enjoyable. It’s cleverly written, through different characters’ perspectives, cleverly woven together to tell the story. I absolutely raced through it and can’t wait to pass my copy on - thanks for sharing D&D!
TARA ALNER
At first I did not think that I was going to get much out of the book. The short chapters and extent made me worry that it would feel like a collection of short stories, and I prefer to get immersed with characters and narratives. How wrong I was. This is a book that has stayed with me. Allocating a different voice to each chapter was a great device and really made me question the version of events I was reading about and see that each episode in someone’s life can be perceived so differently depending on their experience of it. I did want to know much more about Aubrey’s mother, however.
The female protagonists were strong, but not perfect. I welcomed reading about women who do not always follow the prescribed path. The relationships between mothers and daughters were so poignant, and the wider issues that were included (The Tulsa Massacre and 9/11 and ) were not heavy-handed. An excellent book.
JOANNA CHAPMAN
Red at the Bone is a thought-provoking coming of age book. Set across three generations in America of an unplanned pregnancy where it is the Father that steps up to care for the child whilst the Mother follows her ambitions elsewhere.
Each chapter is like a mini-story in itself and at times it was confusing to know which character was talking but once you gave it chance they soon revealed themselves. Overall I did enjoy the book although I found a few of the conclusions of the story frustrating where it lacked details and you were left floundering wanting to know more about what happened as the narrative skipped around.
RACHEL ACHESON
Written sparingly, and with a lyrical, poetic quality, Red at the Bone traces the generations of an upwardly mobile black family living in Brooklyn. Intergenerational transmission of trauma, the impact of deprivation, complexities of teenage pregnancy, and the significance of ‘coming of age rituals’ are explored from the multiple perspectives within a family. The author’s choice to allow the reader so many outlooks mean they are never allowed to sympathise or identify with one character for too long and are forced to examine both the individual and collective impact of the events that take place. Intimacy permeates the pages, but shame is also present in a way that feels both true and incredibly painful. The way the text is written leaves some ambiguity regarding what the characters say to each other and what remains unsaid, leaving the reader to question if there is an important difference? This book is essentially a meditation on the essential elements in a family struggling to incorporate it's disparate elements and conflicting desires. I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates the ability of novels to make a reader feel intensely in ways that are both pleasurable and painful.
FRANKIE TAYLOR
I was very much looking forward to reading this and, whilst I enjoyed it, I didn’t feel it delivered quite as much as I’d hoped.
I enjoy books that scan across different generations, family drama, all its turmoil and secrets passed down and this had that. The scandal of Iris falling pregnant at 16, deciding to keep her baby and bringing the baby up with Aubrey very much in attendance and the support of her parents despite their sobbing and rage and involving everyone they could. Her decision to then go to college and go as far away as she could was a brave one as I expected she would have embraced motherhood once she had Melody as she went against everyone to keep her although she did feel suffocated once Melody was born. It seemed that motherhood took her by surprise with the baby’s needs and feeds and that the baby remained whilst she was determined to still go to college. Iris came across strong and independent and Aubrey was never going to be enough for her but he was obviously a good man and was very likable in the book. I think CathyMarie put her energies into Iris’s education because Aubrey was satisfied with what he had and sadly ended with him dying, presumably through his job in the mailroom, in the Twin Towers on 9.11.
Sabe’s story of their past and their need to secure their futures by hoarding money and gold seems very reflective of that generation who had suffered tragedy and racial hatred. They worked very hard to secure a better life for future generations. I thought the storyline between Iris and Jam’s relationship was off when she apparently leaked breast milk. I thought that was highly unlikely given how long she’d been at College away from Melody. The ending wasn’t dramatic, just a natural conclusion of everything that had happened before. It seemed fitting that she found the gold hidden in the stair.
GALINA ACHKASOVA-PORTIANOI
I haven’t come across Jacqueline Woodson or her books before, so first & foremost it was a lovely surprise to receive a book by the author ‘ ew' to me. The first chapter intrigued me a little, but from chapter two I was gripped. Jacqueline writes beautifully, changing the narrative between the main characters of her book, several generations of a family that came together due to the circumstances. A surprise teen pregnancy, choices presented by life to children & parents. A dress unworn by a mother, but worn by her daughter 16 years later, coming of age. The choices made by one woman reverberating and affecting those closest to her. A man in deep turmoil caused by his love for a woman. A love story that connects generations and sexes. Emotions high and low.
It took me just under a week to gulp through this beautifully written book, reflecting on intertwined themes of identity, love & forks in the road presented by life itself. A book relevant now and for later. A small book - only 196 pages, yet it packs quite an emotional punch that reverberates for days after you finish reading it. A unique gem of a book.
STASI SCHAEFFER
I found Red at the Bone to be a very compelling book, both emotionally and historically. Woodson does a terrific job of tracing the African American struggle, while creating realistic characters who lived through the generations she covers. Her sense of place and social status is outstanding.
Things I appreciated:
She was able to clearly define the worlds her characters lived in.
She chose her words sparsely but was able to convey all the information needed without overwriting.
Although she created flawed characters, their choices were understandable and their qualities multidimensional.
Her ability to weave the stories together in a logical, interesting sequence was incredible.
Red at the Bone was very moreish and told this family’s story in a very complete and satisfying manner. I enjoyed the time I spent reading it and I finished this book feeling enriched by the tale.
MAISIE YOUNG
Never before have I read a book that feels so much like I am looking at someone’s vivid memories. A community's memories, quite different from my own. And a pain underneath that. Muted but when it shines through just as vivid. Not so much a story but a glimpse at someone’s truth. I don’t know if ‘enjoyed’ is the right word but I am really glad I read this book.
KATHRIN REID
I found the first pages a little bit confusing but suddenly I felt like being pulled into the story by a strong current and couldn't put it down. The book is absolutely fascinating with the different viewpoints, each person telling their story and adding another layer to the other characters... or rather taking another layer off until you get to the core, to what it really boils down to. I loved how all the characters are pulled out of the story, like in an explosion drawing but how at the end all of their stories are really just the one story...
Very moving and beautiful!
LIZZIE REEDER
I have to be honest.... I tried, I really tried with this book I just wasn’t hooked. In fact I had to give up 80 pages through - something I NEVER do. Maybe the book just wasn’t my cup of tea, I couldn’t connect with Aubrey and Iris. I wanted to love the book so much and I’m sure many did but for me, it was too slow.... sorry Sunday reads! But I’m really looking forward to the next one!
KIERA BLACK
National Book Award-winner Jacqueline Woodson’s most recent novel, Red at the Bone, is a dazzling, poignant, and profoundly moving glimpse into the lives of a multi-generational Brooklyn family – broken yet bound by unrequited love and lost youth.
The story opens as 16-year-old Melody prepares for her coming-of-age party at the family home, “music filling the brownstone. Black fingers pulling violin bows and strumming cellos, dark lips around horns, a small brown girl with pale pink nails on flute”. An event significant in its very nature, it’s also an occasion Melody’s mother, Iris, never celebrated 16 years previously, a teenager herself when she fell pregnant with her childhood sweetheart, Aubrey.
From here, the narrative moves back and forth through time, illuminating the story of Aubrey and Iris’s fraught relationship, Iris’s longing, despite choosing to keep her baby, for a life of success and freedom, a devastatingly short-lived college romance and the unwavering bond between Iris’s parents, Po’Boy and Sabe. Of all the heart-breaking events revealed throughout these characters’ narrations (the 1921 fires, the death of a character in one of modern history’s most harrowing disasters), what moved me the most was Sabe’s recognition that the dance she’ll share with her husband at Melody’s party could be one of their last. “You feel like dancing? he asks me, and I nod. Because I know I don’t have a whole lot more dances with him. I know the dance card God gave us is almost punched through.” *Cue tears*
Though not a classically fast-paced page-turner, this book will sweep you up in its tender memories and encourage you to consider vital questions around motherhood, class, race, sexuality and identity in America.
OLIVIA BOSWELL
I thoroughly enjoyed Red at the Bone as a first book club read. The book is an interesting exploration of how decisions made when you’re young can affect the rest of your life. In particular, putting a unique spin on teenage pregnancy and the emotions and consequences that are carried with it. At times I felt the book was slightly hard to follow but in the same breath this gave a poetic feel as the story flowed from sentence to sentence. Woodson’s use of dialogue without quotation marks makes the reader slow down and ingest the narrative much more carefully.
Overall the relationships and events in this book touch the very heart of the reader whether they are able to relate to the characters or not.
ALISON TOWNLEY
Red at the Bone is a compelling story and it definitely kept me wanting to know what happened next. The way it portrayed three generations of women was artful (if initially confusing).
The characters were sketched so briefly that it left me wanting to know more about them and struggling a bit to connect or empathize with them. In weaving together the stories of the different eras, there were many tales left untold and a lot of detail missing - it felt as though I were reading an abridged version, rather than the whole narrative. Perhaps this was a deliberate literary device whose subtlety was lost on me.
I also struggled a bit with some of the details around breastfeeding, such as thick pre-milk (it’s actually quite watery) and the idea that Iris continued to produce milk after such long gaps between seeing Melody left me thinking that the author’s research was rather flawed.
Thank you for introducing me to a new author. Although this hasn’t been my favourite book of 2020, I would certainly consider reading more of her work.
EMILY MORTON
A thoughtful and compelling story that I couldn't put down. Full of short engrossing chapters, I finished the book in a day. I enjoyed how the narrative skipped between all of the different characters in Melody’s family and how it covered the different important moments in their family’s timelines, but I felt that some of the central characters' voices, such as Melody and Aubrey were touched upon too briefly and I craved to know more. The story deals with a multitude of differing issues such as teenage pregnancy, fair, and class issues which are woven through the book using short sentences and very evocative language. This brought the story and the characters to life in my mind. Red at the Bone isn’t a story I would have picked off a bookshelf myself but I thoroughly enjoyed it and have since re-read it to gain a fresh perspective. I’ve now passed the book on to my mum and hopefully she will enjoy it as well.
JENNIFER GRAHAM
In all honesty, I had really high hopes, but it took me a little while to get into the book and I wasn't sure I'd enjoy it - to me it seemed quite fractured as it jumped around between people and time periods and at times I found that difficult to keep up with. However it was beautifully, effortlessly written. I felt I got to know and learnt a lot about the characters in such a short time (it really is in miniature!), yet also felt like there was so much more I wanted to know. The book gave the impression of a memoir, rather than a work of fiction and I think that's the reason the characters came to life for me. It felt so personal. Ultimately I did enjoy the book as it certainly packs a punch of emotion for a book on the shorter end of the scale.
J.P
I read this book, wrote this review, before the pandemic, before my days turned into days of reading in bed. So, I was somewhat getting re-used to this sensation, which I remembered from my childhood and was intensely nostalgic but a bit uncomfortable to my overstimulated head. I have always been reading, but not as much as I used to when I was younger. And I'm reading more now, almost as much as I did then, and laying in bed reading is a happy place for me again. Although, I'd say this book did not transport me to other worlds, which is the defining marker of a successful novel for me.
I think this was due to the book's spareness, almost poetry instead of prose. The brevity forced me to bring more consideration into a novel, as opposed to escapism. Somehow simultaneously slice of life, and many lives--through courses and generations. The overlapping stories help to draw threads through generations. I was drawn to reexamine the historical events that provide some background context for the book. I appreciated the dialogue (which wasn't really dialogue, in the stylistic sense), the raw emotions, as used to portray the characters, their struggles. And how, Aubrey and Iris’s class differences are portrayed against their relationship. I am curious about Woodson's other works.
GEMMA POPPLE
I've never read a Jacqueline Woodson novel before, but the way she writes is exquisite. I really wasn't sure about the structure at first, it made it slightly awkward and clunky to read at first due to the jumping around. However, I'm so glad I stuck with it, as I think I actually got a lot more from the characters in it being written in that way, I felt really invested in each of them in different ways.
Overall, this book is a joy to read and I've already recommended it to friends. It made me reflect a lot; both about family relationships and bonds, as well several of the other themes throughout (race, class, sexuality, ambition, growing up/coming of age, young pregnancy). All the themes felt delicately explored and not trite, probably down to the rich storytelling around the characters. As others wrote in their reviews, many sections did feel poetic at times in the way they were written.
Lots of the themes in the novel are especially poignant at the moment so I'm so glad I read it when I did and have no doubt this is one I will re-read several times.
FENELLA HOLDEN
As soon as I opened this book, I have to admit, I was a bit confused by the way it has been laid out. It seems to follow a format more suited to a poem - written almost in stanzas. It was only after the first few chapters that I understood the subconscious effect this had on how I was consuming the words. Like each of these tiny paragraphs were making a stronger impact, the words sinking deeper, with more meaning. An interesting and unique technique by the author. I actually learned to like this layout, as I didn't feel that I was skimming over the words so much - which I feel sometimes happens with dense paragraphs - but really taking in every word, and allowing myself to process the meaning before moving on.
I thought it very sweet to follow multiple family members throughout a few generations, allowing for different points of view, and it was clear when the character changed, as they all have a different "voice". However, I did sometimes lose track of who was narrating each particular chapter. Or finding myself reading back to remember who each character is. I did like how the book came full circle (although I could see this coming from a long way off) - it was very heartwarming and satisfying, however overall I wasn't sure if I enjoyed the book. It wasn't until I was trying to convince my housemate to read it, and she was asking me what it was about, that I realised the impact the story had on me. Definitely a grower!