Alison Towell: Love in Salvage the Bones

In the first two chapters of Salvage the Bones, Ward writes about different kinds of love. There is familial love between the siblings.  The siblings stick together and had to step up because of the loss of their mother and their father’s drinking problem. There is Skeetahs love for China.  Skeetah loved China so much that he got a job cutting the grass at a graveyard so he could afford to buy her the most expensive food. When China is in labor, the only person she will let near her is Skeetah. The way Skeetah loves China is also expressed through touch, “When he touches my back with the puppy-free hand, I know this is how he touches China (Ward 26).” There is China’s love for her puppies, which is her new motherly instinct. This is a new instinct for China because she is widely known for her fighting abilities. There is Esch’s love for Manny, which is unreciprocated. Manny takes advantage of Esch and only uses her for sex. Manny has never even kissed Esch, “he had never even kissed me except like this, with his body, never his mouth (Ward 16).”  Manny’s actions are out of lust not love. Esch is commonly pushed around and does not have the ability to say no. Manny isn’t the only male character that treats her poorly, her father does as well. It seems as if the themes of love in this novel are not the traditional style of love portrayed in other stories.

These chapters leave me wondering what life was like before they lost their mother. Was their father a more caring man? Did Esch have more self-confidence?