Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell

Welcome to the premiere episode of Grown-Up Book Report, a podcast where two snarky librarians read each other's book recommendations. In this episode, Carly - the literary lover - made me read Winter's Bone, a literary novel set in the Ozarks. Winter's Bone was published in 2006 and became a film starring Jennifer Lawrence in 2010.

Daniel Woodrell's modern classic is an unforgettable tale of desperation and courage that inspired the award-winning film starring Jennifer Lawrence.

Ree Dolly's father has skipped bail on charges that he ran a crystal meth lab, and the Dollys will lose their house if he doesn't show up for his next court date. With two young brothers depending on her, 16-year-old Ree knows she has to bring her father back, dead or alive. Living in the harsh poverty of the Ozarks, Ree learns quickly that asking questions of the rough Dolly clan can be a fatal mistake. But, as an unsettling revelation lurks, Ree discovers unforeseen depths in herself and in a family network that protects its own at any cost.

"The lineage from Faulkner to Woodrell runs as deep and true as an Ozark stream in this book...his most profound and haunting yet." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review