Winter's Bone / Daniel Woodrell / 193 pages

Set in Missouri (seems as far away as "France"), Winter's Bone is about a brave Ozark teen who goes on a mission to find her father so that they will not lose their house due to him jumping his bond.  Her father has the distinction of being a really good Crank chef.  (Crank being a form of meth).  Ree is seventeen, a drop-out, and raising her two brothers and caring for her mentally ill/depressed mother.  Losing the house would be catastrophic.  Her journey begins at her uncle's house.  Her Uncle Teardrop is not the kindly type - he is meaner that anything and difficult to talk to especially when he is high (which is most of the time).  In fact, all the men she visits are relatives of some sort and all are part of an abusive, patriarchal brotherhood.  Their women can only offer token of their desire to help her.  I won't say more about the plot, but a lot happens and none of it is fun.  I do not know what would help people who live in Ozark areas of Missouri.  It is violent, dangerous, and clearly sad to be a woman down there.  It is like a third world country.
This book has won awards and the author is from the Ozarks and escaped to the marines at seventeen so he knows what he is writing about.  He was in the renown Iowa Writer's Workshop so just reading some of his descriptions and sentences are worth the read.
Highly recommended.