Sing, Unburied, Sing

On his 13th birthday, Jojo follows his grandfather (“Pop”) to the shed behind their house to slaughter a goat: “I try to look like this is normal and boring so Pop will think I’ve earned these thirteen years, so Pop will know I’m ready to pull what needs to be pulled, separate innards from muscle, organs from cavities” (1). The violence and smell eventually cause Jojo to throw up. Pop sends him inside to check on his toddler sister, Kayla, who has never met their father: Michael was in prison by the time their mother, Leonie, gave birth to her.

Pop begins cooking the goat, giving the liver to Jojo to take to his grandmother (“Mam”), who is bedridden with cancer. Jojo remembers a day when Leonie and Michael had a fight while Pop and Mam were at the doctor’s. Michael eventually left for his parents’ house, leaving Jojo sitting alone outside. When he heard Pop’s mentally disturbed brother (“Stag”) approaching, Jojo ran around to the back of the house, where he cut his foot badly on a can. Later that night, Pop scolded Leonie for her negligence.

As Pop prepares dinner, Jojo tends to Kayla and asks to hear the story of how he and

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