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bonsai9795 's review for:
The Family Bones
by Elle Marr
Family reunions, what work right? You got to get everyone together then there's drama there's arguments because that uncle doesnt want to speak to that aunt after last reunion and that cousin argues with that one meanwhile you got folks arguing over the family activities and then someone gets murdered...
...Wait a minute.
(For the sake of the review I will admit I have qualifications in Psychology and Criminology which could create a bit of a bias in some criticism but I will get to that later).
Family bones takes big dysfunctional family reunion to the extreme because they aren't just family- they're a family of narcissists, psychopaths and other neurodiverse folk. In an isolated resort. It's gritty and twisting and definetly put a twist on the whole "folks trapped with a killer" idea because Olivia- the main character- is quickly reminded that she truly cannot trust anyone or herself because that cognitive deviant streak runs DEEP in the Eriksen family. After all how can you find allies in the folks who find their mental home in the dark triad? In some ways it even helps breathe fresh air into some classic tropes- "no mobile phones!" not because they want to disconnect from social media oh no...its because the closet psychopath uncle wanted to make sure you're undivided attention was directed to what he wanted. "we can't get out because of the storm!" Yes and psychopath Uncle could help but doing so means he cant get what he wants out of the trip and well...psychopaths aren't fond of not helping themselves. Nothing and no one can be trusted because you dont know what is manipulation and what is real. In some ways its fascinating to witness.
Now I will say there was a twist I saw coming that was kind of heralded as the MAIN twist which I saw quite early on. Now it didn't take away my enjoyment of the book to kind of see it coming but there were times during reading that I was like "cmon Olivia how are you not seeing this?" especially as Olivia studies psychology! but this could be because I have some insight myself into the matter and that knowledge likely affected it so its also why I didn't drop a star though it m\ay have been worth some parts being worded differently because im sure many others picked up on it too. I will say it is clear the writer DID do her own research in the matter and whilst yes there was times it was clear bits were more writers creativity (expected ofc) it never ended up feeling too unrealistic and was always written in a way that seemed plausible, and you could just feel from the characters they was steeped in research. The perspective hopping tied in nicely though I will admit there were times I felt the newspaper bits were giving stuff away or the perspective swapped after a big twist so I read the next bit initially not caring for it but on the whole still enjoyable- and it was nice that by the main characters at least- the family wasn't sensationalised. Even with one character being a true crime podcast its not after gory sordid murder details its to get justice for those overlooked/ ignored and was refreshing to see when it can be easy for writers to just go for a more hyped approach on the subject.
I recommend this for anyone who likes a slow tension build and doesnt mind a claustrophobic view of a big family with conflict amplified to it's worst. Having a big family myself it definetly brought to mind a few family gatherings but can safely say mines not as bad as Olivia's!
...Wait a minute.
(For the sake of the review I will admit I have qualifications in Psychology and Criminology which could create a bit of a bias in some criticism but I will get to that later).
Family bones takes big dysfunctional family reunion to the extreme because they aren't just family- they're a family of narcissists, psychopaths and other neurodiverse folk. In an isolated resort. It's gritty and twisting and definetly put a twist on the whole "folks trapped with a killer" idea because Olivia- the main character- is quickly reminded that she truly cannot trust anyone or herself because that cognitive deviant streak runs DEEP in the Eriksen family. After all how can you find allies in the folks who find their mental home in the dark triad? In some ways it even helps breathe fresh air into some classic tropes- "no mobile phones!" not because they want to disconnect from social media oh no...its because the closet psychopath uncle wanted to make sure you're undivided attention was directed to what he wanted. "we can't get out because of the storm!" Yes and psychopath Uncle could help but doing so means he cant get what he wants out of the trip and well...psychopaths aren't fond of not helping themselves. Nothing and no one can be trusted because you dont know what is manipulation and what is real. In some ways its fascinating to witness.
Now I will say there was a twist I saw coming that was kind of heralded as the MAIN twist which I saw quite early on. Now it didn't take away my enjoyment of the book to kind of see it coming but there were times during reading that I was like "cmon Olivia how are you not seeing this?" especially as Olivia studies psychology! but this could be because I have some insight myself into the matter and that knowledge likely affected it so its also why I didn't drop a star though it m\ay have been worth some parts being worded differently because im sure many others picked up on it too. I will say it is clear the writer DID do her own research in the matter and whilst yes there was times it was clear bits were more writers creativity (expected ofc) it never ended up feeling too unrealistic and was always written in a way that seemed plausible, and you could just feel from the characters they was steeped in research. The perspective hopping tied in nicely though I will admit there were times I felt the newspaper bits were giving stuff away or the perspective swapped after a big twist so I read the next bit initially not caring for it but on the whole still enjoyable- and it was nice that by the main characters at least- the family wasn't sensationalised. Even with one character being a true crime podcast its not after gory sordid murder details its to get justice for those overlooked/ ignored and was refreshing to see when it can be easy for writers to just go for a more hyped approach on the subject.
I recommend this for anyone who likes a slow tension build and doesnt mind a claustrophobic view of a big family with conflict amplified to it's worst. Having a big family myself it definetly brought to mind a few family gatherings but can safely say mines not as bad as Olivia's!