Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell
Hard news is delivered to Ree Dolly by the sheriff’s officer at the front door. The Dolly family will lose their home if her father skips bail on charges that he operated a crystal meth lab and fails to appear at his upcoming court appointment. The father of Ree had previously vanished. Arrests (and attempts to escape them) are a normal part of life in Rathlin Valley since the Dolly dynasty has operated on the wrong side of the law for generations. Ree, 16, is aware that she must bring her father back, dead or alive, because she is responsible for caring for her two small brothers and a mother who has transitioned into a type of second childhood. She was up in the severe poverty of the Ozarks and quickly realizes that asking the tough Dolly clan questions can be a fatal error. Ree learns about unanticipated depths in herself and in a family network that defends its own at all costs as she makes her way to a startling revelation.
Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell
Amazon.com
Ree’s journey begins physically, mentally, and emotionally when her meth manufacturing father abandons his wife and three kids and instructs Ree to only look for him “soon as you can see my face.” According to the author, this is not an uncommon event. After some while, a policeman knocks on the Dollys’ door and inquires about Ree’s father Jessup’s whereabouts. The officer tells her that he is unable to locate her father, who is on bond and has a scheduled court appearance for the following week. They will lose their home and land if Jessup doesn’t appear in court because he signed them over for his bond. Ree decides to locate her father before time runs out after realizing that she could have to provide care for her two younger brothers and mentally ill mother without a place to live.
Ree must enlist the assistance of several of her kin people and Jessup’s drug-running gang that dwells in the neighbourhood, which is a highly risky and bold thing to undertake. Teardrop, Jessup’s brother, is the first person we encounter and he refuses to help Ree in her hunt. It is unclear at first if he is an enemy or an antagonist, but as the story goes on, it becomes more obvious. Gail, Ree’s childhood best friend, is another remarkable character who plays a crucial role in the plot and serves as a crucial ally. The plot lopes (Woodrell’s favourite phrase) forward with a lot of unexpected twists and turns.
Ree was one character with whom I connected really well. She is independent, driven, and strong. She is better off for having grown up in the rugged Ozarks. She has a rough-around-the-edges disposition with a touch of arrogance, but when it comes to her younger brothers, Harold and Sonny, and her friend Gail, she softens. It is admirable how resilient Ree is.
Uncle Teardrop was another intriguing and well-defined character. He is a meth cook and a drug addict who consumes at least one drug in each scene in which he appears. His nickname, “Teardrop,” comes from a prison tattoo depicting three teardrops dripping from his eye. He has an explosive, unpredictable temper that causes him to become aggressive, and Ree is terrified of him for good reason. This is probably a consequence effect of his liberal use of meth.
