歌え、葬られぬ者たちよ、歌え(Sing, Unburied, Sing) by Jesmyn Ward (原著), 石川 由美子 (翻訳)

".... アメリカ南部の片田舎。人種問題、貧困、ドラッグ、暴力と、ストーリーは暗く重いのだけど、不思議と読後感は爽やか。ネイティブアメリカン、黒人、白人と複雑な血を引く１３歳になったばかりの少年ジョジョのピュアな感性には魅きつけられる。透明感のある美しい文体も好き。ミシシッピの森の画が見えるよう。ジェスミン・ウォードの他の作品を読んでみたくなった ..."

" ....  the book would give an impression of dark, bleak hopelessness, which is not the feeling it engenders in the process of reading. Ward's lyrical prose and descriptive talent transport the reader to the dusty yard, hot car, bland gas station, prison plantation and guarantees our sympathy. Somehow, no matter how miserable the situation, she manages to sustain hope. The story is told through the eyes of a young boy, Jojo, and his mother, Leonie. From the start, there is a haunted atmosphere of loss, an absence of someone who should be there, but that someone is different for each of them. Leonie is a drug addict and neglectful mother, so that the most influential figure in Jojo's life is Pop, his grandfather. Pop teaches Jojo how to work the farm and tells him about the harsh days when he was in Parchman Penitentiary. Pop's sadness is both for the past and the present, as his wife is dying of cancer. Meanwhile, Leonie is preparing to drive across the state to meet Michael, her lover and father of her children, when he gets out of jail. And she wants to take Jojo and his little sister Kayla with her....."

등장인물들의 교육적 수준이나 나이를 고려해서 인지 인물들 간의 대화가 비문법적이고 표현 등이 좀 낯선(?) 점이 있지만 이해하는데 큰 문제는 없다. 전체적으로는 문장이 쉬운 편이다. 다만 내용이 좀 어둡다. 등장인물들에 의한 이야기의 전개나 비슷한 내용을 이야기하는 다른 작품들을 접한 경험이 있어서 그런지 신선하지는 않았다. 다만 이 작품 나름의 매력은 있는 거 같다.