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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
I had heard so much about Bone Gap so when I was given the opportunity to read it recently, I jumped at the chance. I absolutely love magical realism and this book is perfect for that. Laura Ruby is a phenomenal writer. Bone Gap is beautifully written and really should be read.
The premise is interesting. It centres around a woman named Roza who is taken away by a rich and powerful man. He falls in love with her and takes her into a world where everything she needs is available to her. All the man wants is for her to fall in love with him. However, she really doesn’t feel the same way. When Roza goes missing from Bone Gap, her friend Finn is determined to find her. He believes that she wouldn’t go anywhere without her consent and he feels very suspicious about it all since he witnessed Roza disappearing with the man. However, no-one really believes Finn as he is known for being a little bit odd and dreamy. (There’s a reason why, but I don’t want to ruin it!) Finn is incredibly troubled by her disappearance, especially because he seems to be the only one that’s looking for her. He is surprised that his brother Sean, who he thought loved Roza is not searching for her.
Bone Gap is told from mainly Finn’s point of view, but we also read from Roza’s point of view and experience the world in which she is in. Both perspectives are fascinating and really add something unique to the narration. Another character that we hear from is Petey- Finn’s strange bee obsessed love interest. The story really focuses around Roza’s experience in Bone Gap and how her disappearance made an impact on the inhabitants of Bone Gap.
It’s so hard to review this book because I don’t want to spoil the story, it’s really one you’ve got to get into to enjoy and experience the vivid world as you turn the pages. It really is quite fairy tale-esque which of course is what I LOVE in a story.
There are such intriguing characters in this story. I really enjoyed the connection between Finn and Petey. Both Petey and Roza are such strong female characters and really make you think about the world which places such an emphasis on outer beauty. Both characters have been affected by the perception of beauty and I love the way Laura Ruby explores this in Bone Gap.
The premise is interesting. It centres around a woman named Roza who is taken away by a rich and powerful man. He falls in love with her and takes her into a world where everything she needs is available to her. All the man wants is for her to fall in love with him. However, she really doesn’t feel the same way. When Roza goes missing from Bone Gap, her friend Finn is determined to find her. He believes that she wouldn’t go anywhere without her consent and he feels very suspicious about it all since he witnessed Roza disappearing with the man. However, no-one really believes Finn as he is known for being a little bit odd and dreamy. (There’s a reason why, but I don’t want to ruin it!) Finn is incredibly troubled by her disappearance, especially because he seems to be the only one that’s looking for her. He is surprised that his brother Sean, who he thought loved Roza is not searching for her.
Bone Gap is told from mainly Finn’s point of view, but we also read from Roza’s point of view and experience the world in which she is in. Both perspectives are fascinating and really add something unique to the narration. Another character that we hear from is Petey- Finn’s strange bee obsessed love interest. The story really focuses around Roza’s experience in Bone Gap and how her disappearance made an impact on the inhabitants of Bone Gap.
It’s so hard to review this book because I don’t want to spoil the story, it’s really one you’ve got to get into to enjoy and experience the vivid world as you turn the pages. It really is quite fairy tale-esque which of course is what I LOVE in a story.
There are such intriguing characters in this story. I really enjoyed the connection between Finn and Petey. Both Petey and Roza are such strong female characters and really make you think about the world which places such an emphasis on outer beauty. Both characters have been affected by the perception of beauty and I love the way Laura Ruby explores this in Bone Gap.
Young Adult. 2.5 stars or so. Where this book is on the realism side of magical realism, it wasn't bad. Turns out, magical realism isn't really the genre for me.
As I was readng this book - I was really liking it. And then it got mystical and weird and I still don't really get what happened. I can't really recommend it - but I also didn't mind reading it.
I have never read anything remotely like this book. It was refreshingly beautiful and magical and real, all rolled into one. It's hard to find the words to describe it, like describing a color no one else can see. The characters were wonderfully written and whole. I read this for a book group and can't wait to discuss it with others!
*Review also posted at Briar Rose Reads
There's a gap in the cornfields, and if you fall through, you'll find yourself Somewhere Else.
Laura Ruby's BONE GAP was one of the most original books I've read recently, twining together the eerie and the mundane, the past and the present, in a truly haunting medley.
Finn knows beautiful Roza was taken, but he can't tell by whom. His brother Sean, who loved her, can't forgive him for that. Finn determines to find Roza, even as he falls for Petey, the local Bee Girl--called that both for the fact that she raises bees, and for her strange face which entrances Finn, even as others call it ugly.
In the past, Roza leaves her homeland for America, where she encounters a man who will do anything to own her--even pull her out of our world, through the gaps into Somewhere Else.
Weird and dusty and beautiful, BONE GAP was packed with original characters, in an ordinary little town that was anything but, beneath a looming threat as inexorable as a summer storm.
The greatest power of magical realism, in my opinion, is its plausibility: we've all had those moments where we could almost sense something more, just beyond the edges of the known world. This book made excellent use of that, weaving a story out of the ordinary otherworldly magic of cornfields, silvered and rustling in the moonlight... and the all-too-common, terrifying menace of men who would go to any length to possess women they find beautiful.
There's a gap in the cornfields, and if you fall through, you'll find yourself Somewhere Else.
Laura Ruby's BONE GAP was one of the most original books I've read recently, twining together the eerie and the mundane, the past and the present, in a truly haunting medley.
Finn knows beautiful Roza was taken, but he can't tell by whom. His brother Sean, who loved her, can't forgive him for that. Finn determines to find Roza, even as he falls for Petey, the local Bee Girl--called that both for the fact that she raises bees, and for her strange face which entrances Finn, even as others call it ugly.
In the past, Roza leaves her homeland for America, where she encounters a man who will do anything to own her--even pull her out of our world, through the gaps into Somewhere Else.
Weird and dusty and beautiful, BONE GAP was packed with original characters, in an ordinary little town that was anything but, beneath a looming threat as inexorable as a summer storm.
The greatest power of magical realism, in my opinion, is its plausibility: we've all had those moments where we could almost sense something more, just beyond the edges of the known world. This book made excellent use of that, weaving a story out of the ordinary otherworldly magic of cornfields, silvered and rustling in the moonlight... and the all-too-common, terrifying menace of men who would go to any length to possess women they find beautiful.
My first journey into magical realism, and I loved every enchanting second of it!
I had seen a lot of people talk about this book on bookstagram, and that's why when I saw it at the library I couldn't help borrowing it. Still, I have to admit I didn't expect too much from it, because it didn't sound like the kind of book I would usually read (if I hadn't heard about it before I wouldn't have read it at all).
Now I guess you're looking at my rating and thinking - I guess she was wrong. You're right, I definitely was. This book was so different from how I expected it to be, which I realised pretty quickly after I started reading. It's written in such a beautiful way, much more poetic than most books that I read, and I loved it.
Then there's the magic. There was so much magic in the book, at the same time as it was all reality... if that makes any sense at all. The magic was all around them, but it was it's own. Maybe you could describe it as the nature being alive, more than usual.
I really liked the characters too. They all had secrets, things the people of Bone Gap who thought they knew everything about everyone had no idea about, and that explained the way they acted. It wasn't just the poor beautiful girl who happened to get kidnapped and the boy who wanted to save her because he was madly in love with her, because he wasn't. Both of the female characters were strong, stronger than anyone gave them credit for, but no one was perfect, and neither were any of the relationships in the book.
To sum things up, I'm really happy I read this book, and it far exceeded my expectations. I recommend everyone to read it, even those who aren't usually into YA, because it's not a typical YA book. It's... I don't know what it is. It's just a genuinely good book.
Now I guess you're looking at my rating and thinking - I guess she was wrong. You're right, I definitely was. This book was so different from how I expected it to be, which I realised pretty quickly after I started reading. It's written in such a beautiful way, much more poetic than most books that I read, and I loved it.
Then there's the magic. There was so much magic in the book, at the same time as it was all reality... if that makes any sense at all. The magic was all around them, but it was it's own. Maybe you could describe it as the nature being alive, more than usual.
I really liked the characters too. They all had secrets, things the people of Bone Gap who thought they knew everything about everyone had no idea about, and that explained the way they acted. It wasn't just the poor beautiful girl who happened to get kidnapped and the boy who wanted to save her because he was madly in love with her, because he wasn't. Both of the female characters were strong, stronger than anyone gave them credit for, but no one was perfect, and neither were any of the relationships in the book.
To sum things up, I'm really happy I read this book, and it far exceeded my expectations. I recommend everyone to read it, even those who aren't usually into YA, because it's not a typical YA book. It's... I don't know what it is. It's just a genuinely good book.
Throughout this book I went from loving to being confused to not caring and back again. Perhaps the magical realism needed a bit more magic, or the realistic parts needed to be more clearly separated? For example, the whole castle sequence was interesting, but it wasn't clear if that was a hallucination or reality or magical realism or a combination. Readers may have to go back a few times to figure out which portions are which. On the other hand, I did love the bees!
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"He said, “I love you.”
She shook her head. “You can see me, that’s all.”
But wasn’t that love? Seeing what no one else could?"
She shook her head. “You can see me, that’s all.”
But wasn’t that love? Seeing what no one else could?"