Red at the Bone - Jacqueline Woodson

This time I'm reviewing another Women's Prize contender Red at the Bone, my first Jacqueline Woodson novel and another short read at less than 200 pages. I really enjoyed this one and am really rooting for it for the shortlist. It begins in 2001 in Brooklyn, with sixteen-year-old Melody, who is preparing for her ‘coming of age’ ceremony and wearing the same dress that was made for her mother years earlier. Her mother ultimately never got the chance to wear the dress as she fell pregnant at age fifteen, bringing shame to her traditional family. The story explores three generations of the same family, beginning in 1921 with her grandparents and focusing in on the Tulsa race massacre, spanning all the way to the 9/11 terror attack in New York.⠀

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Woodson tackles themes of family, identity, race, class and the meaning of parenthood, as well as sexuality. In such a short novel these themes are super poignant and hard-hitting, and this book gets you right in the feels. The narrative zooms in on different family members and although it’s a short book, you really become attached to the characters which is always a win with me - I like to really get invested in the people I’m reading about. This is such a great book and a quick read so I would highly recommend it!