Probably the most visceral punch in the gut I’ve had since A Little Life, probably. Mostly because in its quest for verisimilitude it is attempting to summon up some anger in the reader toward people generally portrayed as spiteful, hateful, and ignorant as they are conjured in these pages. Within the harsh culture there are people, such as Bone, who are inducted to a cyclical trauma that continues to ravage and affect white, poor families.

The author does a pretty amazing job of allowing you to understand the people who allow Bone to be abused in multiple ways, while also making it clear you can empathize only so much, and you ought to be so angry you remember. I can say this will stick in my head for some time, probably forever. It is a very hard read. There’s content warnings for just about everything. The fallout of the damage and trauma inflicted on an underage person is nuanced and not remotely shied away from. It is an absolutely heartbreaking read, and it’ll twist you up inside, if you’re anything like me.