DeLisle, Mississippi native Jesmyn Ward writes with a power and depth of feeling that is rare and exhilarating. Her novel about twelve days in the life of a poor black family living on the Mississippi coast as a hurricane gathers in the gulf displays the gifts of a writer with exceptional skill and no fear. The characters seem almost to claw their way off the pages, so vividly has Ms. Ward created them. This is a novel of flesh and blood, heart and soul, dreams and terrors that I will not soon forget.