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aylart 's review for:
The Bone People
by Keri Hulme
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.