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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
adventurous
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 read this book as the New Zeeland book for the “reading the world” challenge. In that sense, it was a good choice, since I definitely learned a lot about the country and Maori. The Maori words and phrases that were used throughout the text were interesting, but would have been a lot more interesting still, had I known about the list of translations and explanations at the back of the book before I finished reading the epilogue.
Both the writing and the story are… peculiar. I was afraid of the magical realism label, since that is not usually my genre. Up to about 75% of the book, I was really liking it, despite the very heavy subjects and unanswered questions. The writing felt creative without being forced, and I was invested in the characters and their story. However, about three quarters in, the magic started becoming a bit too prominent for my liking, without much of an explanation. Moreover, I had high hopes for the ending, and these hopes were completely dashed. It was too convenient, open, and, honestly, problematic. So, while a large part of the book was a four-star read for me, the last part left a bad aftertaste.
Both the writing and the story are… peculiar. I was afraid of the magical realism label, since that is not usually my genre. Up to about 75% of the book, I was really liking it, despite the very heavy subjects and unanswered questions. The writing felt creative without being forced, and I was invested in the characters and their story. However, about three quarters in, the magic started becoming a bit too prominent for my liking, without much of an explanation. Moreover, I had high hopes for the ending, and these hopes were completely dashed. It was too convenient, open, and, honestly, problematic. So, while a large part of the book was a four-star read for me, the last part left a bad aftertaste.
Here's hoping Hulme receives as much respect for giving New Zealand such a great, original work of literature as Faulkner, Hemingway, Ellison, et al. have gotten for that service to the States.
This one chews on your mind while you chew on the prose.
Full review: https://faintingviolet.wordpress.com/2019/08/12/the-bone-people-cbr11-35/
Full review: https://faintingviolet.wordpress.com/2019/08/12/the-bone-people-cbr11-35/
This is one of my all time favorites. Set in New Zealand, "The Bone People" examines the limitations of language and the possibility of connection in a linguistic no mans land. The characters are all studies in inscrutability, starkly different depending on the language they use. An experiment in creole fictive possiblity, and a tale of redemption in which each character creates his own hell, this is a novel of the fall from letter to flesh. Astoundingly imaginative, this novel creates whole world within each mind. From a seed of story the novel spirals into a poetic blast of a conch shell.
Speechless from this book. Strange and different and beautiful in its own very unique way. Worth the read for sure.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Woah, dude.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved the setting, which was totally unfamiliar to me. Loved the protagonist, who was grumpy and quirky but sweet. Loved the silent, super-smart six-year-old.
This was a downer at times (past trauma, family rifts, child abuse), but the depth of the characters was refreshing.
I found annoying the italicized sections (does nobody but me find them hard to read?). There were also far too many inner thoughts, and Kerwin's especially were tedious. She tries too hard to be poetic, but at least she realized she was being melodramatic.
A different take on the "beach" setting, and evidence that family can be anywhere.
This was a downer at times (past trauma, family rifts, child abuse), but the depth of the characters was refreshing.
I found annoying the italicized sections (does nobody but me find them hard to read?). There were also far too many inner thoughts, and Kerwin's especially were tedious. She tries too hard to be poetic, but at least she realized she was being melodramatic.
A different take on the "beach" setting, and evidence that family can be anywhere.
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-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
I really liked it! I thought the style of the book was really interesting and I thought it worked really well for the story telling. I liked the characters a lot. The use of language was really beautiful. It was really compelling to read about the Maori people and an asexual character.
Warning: child abuse cannot be skipped! It's a big part of the book!
Warning: child abuse cannot be skipped! It's a big part of the book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Terminal illness
I didn't like so much the abuse plot line. Honestly, I could have done without, especially with it getting so violent.