Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward is a disturbing but beautifully written book. It delves into the dark past and present of life in Mississippi. The majority of the book is set after Hurricane Katrina, yet it felt like segregation had only just stopped being a thing.

Sing, Unburied, Sing is gritty and not recommended for the faint hearted. The opening chapter starts with the slaughtering of a goat, one character vomits on and off through a large portion of the book, there's a near miss with an overdose, and an anxiety-inducing encounter with roadside police - and that's just scratching the surface. 

It's a book full of pain and suffering. Race and class issues are central to the story, as is the injustice of the American prison system. 

I think the book gives a glimpse of reality for many Americans living below the poverty line, dealing with racial prejudice and drug addiction. However one of the storylines in the book is told through the perspective of a ghost. I really liked the use of magical realism to connect the past and the present, and to show the strength of family ties, but if may not be everyone's cup of tea. 

My heart ached for nearly everyone in the book, but particularly for JoJo. He's such a sweet big brother and was faced with so many hardships. 

Much of the subject matter isn't easy to read but Sing, Unburied, Sing has so many things I look for in a good book - beautiful writing that swept me up in the story, and characters that show me perspectives and lives that are vastly different to my own.