There are some books that get a lot of hype, and I put off reading them. The Kite Runner was one of those – and when I finally picked it up, it took all of one paragraph for me to decide it was worth all the hype. Winter’s Bone, by Daniel Woodrell, is another such book. I was hooked immediately, not just by the unique narrative voice in which Woodrell writes, but also the vividness with which he brings to life a dark, dirty winter in the Ozarks.

This is a book that says no more than it must – but paints its scenes with amazing clarity. It is a book of subtlety and silences, of knowing what cannot be told and telling without speaking; a book of steely women and violent men. Our protagonist, Ree Dolly, must find her father, a crank cook who will forfeit his house and land if he misses his court date. Frustrated by the poverty which has stunted her life and threatens to ruin her younger brothers’ future, she refuses to back down to anyone as she navigates the clan’s Ozark omertà for any hint that will prevent her own family’s ruin. It is a brutal and beautiful story that will linger in your mind long after you finish.

- Joe, Owner & Inventory Manager