I read the last vignette of Mudbound and broke out into tears. I’ll explain why later in this review. But first, let’s set the scene.
Mudbound is set in a small Mississippi town post World War II. Readers are introduced to two rural farming families – one white (the McAllens) and one black (the Jacksons), each with very different perspectives of life. We learn quickly that farming on land that’s prone to flooding is the least of the hardships these families will face.
The author, Hillary Jordan, separates the book into three major sections. Within each section, the story switches between the perspectives of each character – Laura, Henry, Jamie, Florence, Hap, and Ronsel. And from each perspective, we learn a bit more about Henry and Jamie’s father, “Pappy”.
Overview
Henry McAllen buys a rundown farm in rural Mississippi as an investment for his family. He brings along his wife, Laura, who would much prefer to live in a town with running water and the other small comforts we typically take for granted. Nonetheless, she tries her best to be the supporting wife and make the best of it all, with the understanding that this is only temporary – until Henry can make enough money from the farm to move the family into town. However, this family will need a lot of help in this new and challenging environment if they ever want to leave.
They heavily rely on Hap and Florence Jackson, their tenant-sharecroppers, to help bring in the cotton crop. Florence winds up assisting with many other things and becomes an invaluable resource to Laura because of her knowledge of basic medical care, managing a home, rearing children, and the ins-and-outs of farming. The McAllens end up hiring Florence to do housework and to be somewhat of a support system for Laura – although it would be a stretch to call them friends.
Things were going as well as they could for the Jacksons, who had learned how to navigate overt racism, subtle indignities, and everything else that comes with being black in the Deep South during that time, until Hap takes a bad fall and breaks his leg. As if a prayer had been answered, Hap and Florence Jackson’s son, Ronsel, returns home and helps his father fulfill his obligation to the McAllens. Around the same time, Jamie, Henry McAllen’s very charismatic younger brother, also comes to visit his family and decides to stay a while.
In a chance meeting at a grocery store, Ronsel and Jamie discover they both fought in the War and both suffer with some form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Although adjusting to normal life after War is difficult for any solider, Ronsel has the added inconvenience of also being black. What happens next is all because of one thing: Pappy catching a glimpse of Ronsel riding in the front passenger’s seat of his son’s pick-up truck.
Review
Seeing the “N” word is always jarring for me. It’s used frequently throughout the book. Overall, there’s a fair amount of harsh language, but it would be inauthentic if the book did not have this very raw and vivid depiction of how people spoke back then. In fact, Jordan does a great job of distinguishing the voices of each character. Each character sounded very different and their perspectives were always colored by their own particular biases and experience. This was done very well.
What struck me most, was how black people had to be conscious about everything they did – the words they uttered, the tone of their voice, the look in their eyes, where they walked, when they walked, and so much more had to be carefully considered in order to survive. Conversely, we see the white characters have the privilege of either acting erratically or solely being concerned about themselves. Their recklessness continually compromises the safety of the black people around them.
For instance, Jamie and Ronsel meet by chance at a grocery store. Jamie hears a loud sound and instantly has a flashback which sends him falling to his knees. Out of compassion, Ronsel extends a hand to help him up because in that moment he understood his trauma. After speaking briefly, Jamie gets in his truck and offers Ronsel a ride. Ronsel hops in the back, but Jamie tells him to sit in the cab. Initially, Ronsel is hesitant, but he eventually “follows orders”. When Jamie is confronted by his father and brother about whether Ronsel rode in the front, Jamie nonchalantly responds with something like, “Yeah, he did. And what’s it to you?”
When I read that, I wondered if Ronsel even crossed Jamie’s mind…at all? I wondered if he even considered how that flippant statement could impact Ronsel’s life? That’s when it hit me, in this book white people seemed to fall into three camps: Overtly racist, indifferent, or well-meaning – but still completely missing the mark. That realization was frustrating, all the efforts each black person made to safeguard themselves and the ones they loved, was completely undone by some careless act of their white counterparts.
Another topic that came up a few times in the book was religion. A few characters rejected God as a result of what happened or simply expressed a strong disbelief in God long before anything happened. Florence and Jamie especially had visceral reactions to the notion of God, while Laura was ambivalent. The trope that God is absent or deliberately choosing not to intervene comes up in books like this often. However, what’s very clear throughout this particular story, is that every action taken had absolutely nothing to do with God. If God were considered at all prior to any choice being made, the consideration was quickly discarded. All actions were willful and deliberate by individuals only thinking about their own interests. So I find it ironic, that anyone would “blame” God when He wasn’t considered or relied on in any substantial way to begin with.
Nevertheless, the last vignette made me cry because it leaves us with a sense of hope. But once again (like with everything else in the story), the outcome the reader wants would also have to be a deliberate and very challenging choice made by a character with all the disadvantages in the the world. However, what we learn throughout this story is that this person is well equipped to achieve that hopeful outcome more so than most.
I give this book a B+. Good writing. Good story.
