I received a copy of this book as a gift.
"Salvage the Bones" follows Esch and her family in the weeks leading up to a hurricane. Esch lives in Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, and they have not seen a bad hurricane since before she was born, but this hurricane, Hurricane Katrina, is threatening to ransack their lives. Esch and her family live in poverty, and they do not have access to a ton of resources to help them prepare, but they do have each other.
This story was intriguing to me because it took the approach of establishing character's stories before they were impacted by the hurricane. I already had empathy and concerns for them before the rain even started.
There is a plotline about a dog who has puppies that Skeetah, Esch's brother, wants to sell to help make more money for the family. Skeetah also has the dog engage in dog fights. There is no outright abuse, but I did not like to read about how they were treating this dog and what was happening with the puppies. Skeetah clearly loved the dog more than anything, but he pushed her to her limit.
Esch was a complicated character to like. She clearly had a good heart and loved her family more than anything. But I do not think she had that love for herself.
I think this is a great book for anyone who is looking for a story about survival against the toughest of odds.