Winter's Bone: Daniel Woodrell

The last time Ree saw her father he didn t bring food or money but promised he d be back soon with a paper sack of cash and a truckload of delights. Since he left, she s had to look after her mother sedated and losing her looks and her two younger brothers. Ree hopes the boys won t turn out like the others in the Ozark mountains hard and mean before they ve learnt to shave.

One cold winter s day, Ree discovers that her father has put up their house as bail and that it ll be sold from under them if he doesn t show up for his trial. Ree knows she needs to find her father to save her family but in a culture riven with secrecy and paranoia her questions are unwelcome and the answers painful.

As Ree faces violence and a strange kind of loyalty she learns about courage and resilience.
This is a startingly vivid portrait of tough people and the unforgiving landscape they inhabit.