Mam is sick with cancer when the novel begins and becomes bedridden from chemotherapy treatments, which ultimately forces Leonie to step up as a motherly figure. Mam steps up to look after Jojo and Kayla when she realizes Leonie does not care enough for her children. This gift was not passed on to her daughter, Leonie, but instead to her grandchildren. She comes from a long line of women who can heal and communicate with dead people. Philomene (Mam) is Jojo and Kayla's maternal grandmother. Pop shares pieces of his stories with Jojo about Richie and Parchman throughout the book. Pop spent some time in Parchman prison when he was young and developed a 'care giver' relationship with another inmate, Richie. He is the main parental figure in Jojo's life, which makes him the role model Jojo looks up to. River (Pop) is Jojo's and Kayla's maternal grandfather. She is also jealous of her children's relationship because it reminds her of the brother she lost too early in life and her failures as a mother, since Jojo takes on more of her parental role.

Leonie and Michael previously had plans to move to California together which were interrupted by the birth of Jojo, creating a rift between the two. Leonie is consumed by her love for Michael and is inattentive to the needs of her children. The high from the drugs gives her the ability to see her deceased brother, Given. The trauma of her younger life leads Leonie to cope by turning to drugs. Leonie became pregnant at a young age, not certain she wanted to be a mother. She is the second of three narrators of the story. Leonie is the daughter of River and Philomene and mother to Jojo and Kayla. Throughout the book, Jojo has many conversations with spirits while helping them move on to the afterlife. Because of his strained relationship with his mother, Jojo looks up to his grandfather, who has been more of a paternal figure while Jojo's father was in prison, and wishes to be like him. Throughout the book, Jojo often acts as a parent to his younger sister Kayla because his mother, Leonie, is not always present. The story starts on his thirteenth birthday at his maternal grandparents' house in the fictional town of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi. Named after his paternal grandfather, he is the child of Michael, who is white, and Leonie, who is Black. Joseph (Jojo) is a main character and one of three narrators. The novel received overwhelmingly positive reviews, and was named by The New York Times as one of the 10 Best Books of 2017. It focuses on a family in the fictional town of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi. Sing, Unburied, Sing is the third novel by the American author Jesmyn Ward and published by Scribner in 2017.

Sing unburied sing