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emilypoche 's review for:
Salt Bones
by Jennifer Givhan
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The marketing of this book is does this book a disservice. While Salt Bones is a solid supernatural-tinged thriller, a retelling of Persephone and Demeter it is not. While there are some common elements like a daughter who disappears, taken by an unknown force, and a mother trying to bring her back, there is very little else tying it to the myth. I kept looking for more elements of the original myth and was disappointment when I couldn’t find any, and that definitely colored my opinion of the story.
One of my favorite things about the story were the vivid, haunting visions that followed Mal. I loved the way that she appeared at every turn and made the author and the main character question her reality. Was this a real case of supernatural figures luring and taking young women? Or is she a figure of her imagination? Ingrained through cultural mythology and the fears she has from years of trauma.
Unfortunately I did feel like the ending was somewhat predictable. Short of the involvement of a few key players it all boils down to the original hypothesis. Things also, for the most part, work out exactly as you guess they will. There’s also a somewhat throwaway line in the final chapter about inheritances that just seems so…flippant? Like that things would be resolved so easily.
I don’t know why, but this book struggled for me. The characters were messy and I was empathetic with the way their tragedy changed their lives, but it felt as if Mal was completely convicted that her often selfish and bizarre choices about her relationships and her daughters aren’t really criticized. It’s acknowledged that she can be overprotective but never fully gives any credence to the fact that this may not fully be a good thing.
I did appreciate that this story shed light on the way young women who disappear are treated, and how family influence changes how they’re regarded. I think that this is an important narrative, but it wasn’t exactly a top story of the summer for me. 3/5, with thanks to Aardvark for offering so many choices.
One of my favorite things about the story were the vivid, haunting visions that followed Mal. I loved the way that she appeared at every turn and made the author and the main character question her reality. Was this a real case of supernatural figures luring and taking young women? Or is she a figure of her imagination? Ingrained through cultural mythology and the fears she has from years of trauma.
Unfortunately I did feel like the ending was somewhat predictable. Short of the involvement of a few key players it all boils down to the original hypothesis. Things also, for the most part, work out exactly as you guess they will. There’s also a somewhat throwaway line in the final chapter about inheritances that just seems so…flippant? Like that things would be resolved so easily.
I don’t know why, but this book struggled for me. The characters were messy and I was empathetic with the way their tragedy changed their lives, but it felt as if Mal was completely convicted that her often selfish and bizarre choices about her relationships and her daughters aren’t really criticized. It’s acknowledged that she can be overprotective but never fully gives any credence to the fact that this may not fully be a good thing.
I did appreciate that this story shed light on the way young women who disappear are treated, and how family influence changes how they’re regarded. I think that this is an important narrative, but it wasn’t exactly a top story of the summer for me. 3/5, with thanks to Aardvark for offering so many choices.