
A hurricane is building over the Gulf of Mexico threatening the coastal town of Bois Sauvage Mississippi & Esch's father is growing concerned He's a hard drinker largely absent & it isn't often he worries about the family Esch & her three brothers are stockpiling food but there isn't much to save Lately Esch can't keep down what food she gets; at fifteen she has just realized that she's pregnant Her brother Skeetah is sneaking scraps for his prized pit bull's new litter dying one by one Meanwhile brothers Randall & Junior try to stake their claim in a family long on child's play & short on parenting As the twelve days that make up the novel's framework yield to a dramatic conclusion this unforgettable family
- motherless children sacrificing for one another as they can protecting & nurturing where love is scarce
- pulls itself up to face another day