I read this as a library loaned Kindle book, often sitting with my Blackberry in coffee cafes to catch up.
And it is the sort of book a reader wants to catch up with. The heroine, Ree Dolly, young as she is, is as tough as any Clint Eastwood character. She's left in a hard place when her father goes missing after putting up the family home as bond.
The setting is the Ozarks, and for an East Coast urbanite like myself, it could be a foreign country. The area and the culture are vividly described. The characters and their code of living come from a different time as well as place. The story of Ree dealing with keeping her small family together and the code of silence surrounding her is astounding. She's "just" a teenager, but tougher than many of the flinty people in the communities around her. This toughness is what wins the respect of her neighbors, and she is able to overcome the obstacles put in her path.
The Ozarks are displayed as a place where the law is the enemy, where meth is cooked instead of moonshine, where a name can mark the path a boy will take for his manhood. And God help you if you're female.
This book is a wonderful balance of character and plot development. I highly recommend it.
