Melody

The first chapter of Red at the Bone introduces Melody who is 16-years-old and is having a coming of age ceremony. Melody is the daughter of Aubrey and Iris, who had Melody when she was 15 years old. The ceremony is similar to the one that was supposed to happen for her mother -- even down to the same dress, fitted for her mother. Within the first chapter, the reader sense strong tension between Melody and Iris, especially noting that Melody calls her mother by her first name. They fight over the music of the party, and in-between this argument, the reader senses that Melody resents her mother for not being present in her life while Iris resents the burden that Melody has put on hers. Named after Sabe's mother, Melody is mostly raised by Aubrey and her grandparents. As a child, she was inquisitive and happy, but Melody's...