"Never ask for what ought to be offered."
If not for the fact that a movie nominated for Oscars (review to come) had been made of this book, I might not have ever heard of it. Thank goodness for Oscar nominations! Daniel Woodrell has written a gritty but gorgeous novel, full of descriptions that put you in the Ozarks. However, these are not the Ozarks that have become a tourist destination.
Ree Dolly is living in extreme poverty, but wants to hold her family together despite the mental illness of her mother, the absence of her meth dealing father and her younger brothers who have come to rely on her for everything. The story of what happens when Ree learns that her father has disappeared after putting the family home up as bail, is a story that is both hard to read, and hard to put down.
Reading this story will make you both admire the determination a young girl has to make her life better, but feel depressed for her inability to escape from her desperate surroundings. Daniel Woodrell writes a heart-wrenching story of a clannish community that is well worth your time, it is a quick read, but a harsh story.
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