Everything about Salvage The Bones is stark. The story, the characters, and the setting all have the makings of a Greek tragedy. (Unfortunately, I can't take credit for that comparison. The parallels between Esch and Medea are very clearly drawn.) I'm glad that I took my sweet time reading this book because it gave me the opportunity to fall in love with the family and understand their circumstances more fully. Poverty and Hurricane Katrina serve as the duel antagonists. There's beauty to be found in the pages, if only you can look through all the brutality.