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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is an extremely upsetting book, but also a really well-constructed one. It deals with horrifying, graphic child abuse, couched sometimes in dreamy prose-poetry, sometimes in stark, bald sentences that really drive home the horror. And then again, that child abuse is forgiven surprisingly easily and quickly by all involved. So I didn't enjoy reading the book, but I'm glad I did, for the extraordinary writing and structure, if not the content.
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I didn't really know what to expect when I picked up The Bone People. Given that the description in the blurb says it mostly depicts the relationships among a small group of people, I wasn't surprised to find that this was the case, but I was pleasantly surprised by the intensity of the character study, which felt very Steinbeck-ian to me (indeed, I read The Wayward Bus shortly before this and the two books really resonated with one another in the type of person depicted and the harshness with which their realities were shared). I was NOT expecting the intensity of the child abuse depicted here, and if that bothers you, you will struggle with this book. I also found the last 1/4 or so of the novel to be really difficult to relate to... there are some more or less magical-realism elements that intrude (and I do mean intrude) on what until that point was a story totally grounded in reality. That diversion seemed totally unnecessary and kind of spoiled it for me - I would have preferred it to end realistically rather than having more or less a happy ending that could only be achieved by magical means. Still, the writing was beautiful so I'll give it five stars.
It was really hard to get used to this book's style at the beginning, but it was totally worth persevering. I liked the way the characters are hugely flawed and the book is critical of them but deeply accepting in the end.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m left not knowing how to feel. I enjoyed the ending but I’m not sure the payoff was worth the novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Pedophilia
I read this so many years ago that I can't remember it very fully. I need to go back and reread. Haunting, disturbing, beautiful...I remember these things.