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A review by ohnoflora
Boneland by Alan Garner
5.0
Oct 2012 - I read this book in three days flat and am still processing it. It is everything that I love: place, myth, the interconnectedness of things, growing up. At one point Colin says, "it's not so much deep space that concerns me as deep place" and that seems as good enough a description of this book as any.
May 2013 - I just re-read this book and part of me wants to turn back to the start and begin all over again. It is heartbreaking, it's scary, it's funny and rich and truthful. There is so much packed into it - so many strands to follow. After reading Simon Armitage's translation of Gawain and the Green Knight (with facing original text) I found so many more allusions than I had seen the first time round - whole phrases lifted from it (pearl to a white pea, the description of hills with hats of mist, "I'm the governor of this gang") or ideas taken from it (Colin's scar on his neck that he associates with shame, his green and gold hood, the order of animals the prehistoric man hunts (deer then boar then fox), Meg lopping holly). I can't explain what this book is to me - it feels real - it is a true story.
May 2013 - I just re-read this book and part of me wants to turn back to the start and begin all over again. It is heartbreaking, it's scary, it's funny and rich and truthful. There is so much packed into it - so many strands to follow. After reading Simon Armitage's translation of Gawain and the Green Knight (with facing original text) I found so many more allusions than I had seen the first time round - whole phrases lifted from it (pearl to a white pea, the description of hills with hats of mist, "I'm the governor of this gang") or ideas taken from it (Colin's scar on his neck that he associates with shame, his green and gold hood, the order of animals the prehistoric man hunts (deer then boar then fox), Meg lopping holly). I can't explain what this book is to me - it feels real - it is a true story.