No matter what you think of what this book will be like, you’re not prepared for how gripping and moving it will be. I work in a library and was well aware of the buzz around One Good Mama Bone for some time before finally reading it myself. I expected it to be sad and maybe a little touching but I had no idea how, after only a couple chapters, I would care so much and be so invested in this unique and superlative story.

The book follows the Creamer family, Sarah and her son Emerson Bridge, who are all on their own and on the knifes edge of dire poverty in 1950’s Anderson county South Carolina. Determined to provide for her son, Sarah makes a desperate gamble and buys a steer to enter into the annual Fat Cattle Show & Sale, a contest with a hefty cash prize. But as mother and son raise the animal and form closer connections with their neighbors and friends they begin to question if they can really enter their steer in the competition, knowing the butchers’ block is the final destination.

A severely poignant novel about family, kindness, and belonging, this story had me firmly in its grip from beginning to end. When I wasn’t reading it I was thinking about it, and when I was reading it I was simultaneously desperate to get to then end and also wishing it wouldn’t end. Aside from the engaging story and viscerally descriptive language, the author also portrays the rich inner lives and psychology of her characters with a deft and masterful touch. I couldn’t wait to learn more about these characters and getting inside their heads and seeing how they acted and reacted with people in their lives, was endlessly fascinating. One Good Mama Bone is a book that sticks with you changes you as you read it. I sincerely hope Bren McClain continues writing for many years to come, I can’t wait to see what else she has to say.