Leonie's parents are referred to as Mam and Pop as if, even though they are the grandparents, they are still the primary parental figures guiding Jojo and Kayla.Īnother thing I really liked about this novel was the way it draws in stories of the past with the ghost-like figures who follow the main characters and the tales that Pop tells Jojo. During a scene where she becomes quite ill there's an added layer of tension because Leonie doesn't know how to properly care for her. Jojo is the one who primarily cares for young Kayla as he observes of Leonie that “she ain't got the mothering instinct.” I found it really touching how the novel shows some people aren't natural parents and the way other family step in to fill the role of caregiver – particularly for someone as young as Kayla.

With the meandering nature of the story it felt like it took a while before I really knew the characters, but once I got into it I found the novel quite moving. So the past is folded into the present in a way which is ultimately quite poignant. Gradually spirit figures appear around them as there is a hereditary condition where this family can commune with the dead. Leonie's colleague and friend Misty also accompanies them and takes them on a detour to pick up/transfer drugs. The bulk of the story is made up of a car journey Leonie takes with her two children Jojo and Kayla to pick up their father Michael who is being released from prison.

Maybe I came to read “Sing, Unburied, Sing” by Jesmyn Ward with too much expectation since it has recently won the National Book Award and many people recommended it to me, but it took me some time for me to get into this novel.

Sing unburied sing review