The Bone People

[FirelightSpirit]

Note: I couldn't find this thread on Google so decided to repost it. Here's my opinion, for the second time:

I read this in college and it has always stayed with me.

It's the story of Kerewin, a recluse, whose isolation is invaded, much to her initial annoyance, by a young boy named Simon Peter who doesn't speak. She later meets his foster father, Joe, a Maori who is grieving the death of his wife.

There's a real sense of poetry about this book and I love the quality of the writing.

You can't always sympathise with the characters because of their actions, but that just makes them all the more deep and real.

This is definitely a book I will reread some day soon, once I get out from under my mountain of a TBR pile!

I'd love to read your thoughts, again!

[James]

I am surprised that I was not able to locate this book in the search function as it was from this site that I first heard the title, so apologies if I am starting a repeat thread.

The book follows three main characters and is told from the perspective of part Maori woman living in New Zealand. The story revolves around her meeting a troubled young boy with certain disabilities and his adoptive father.

The language takes some getting used to but is compelling and dramatic, the author has been described as a poet and this comparison is fair in the context of this book.

In summary the story is one of compassion in difficult circumstances and the humanity in all people though their actions may at times deny them the right to make any claim to it.

I wont lie and say the book is an easy read and some of the content is truly saddening, but it does give you a valuable insight into how peoples actions can be interpreted without considering the person behind them.

A worthy booker winner in my opinion (which I dont often think).

This is my first review, I have tried to keep it as vague as possible.

[FirelightSpirit]

Hi James, welcome to BGO. We do have a thread on this book, actually. I know because I started it! :) I'm sure the moderators can merge the threads.

I'm glad you liked this. It's one of my favourites.

[David]

I'm sure the moderators can merge the threads.
Done!

[James]

Splendid :) and yet still no comments, I wonder if perhaps it has not reached many members in the group.

I really do recomment it as an excellent read.

And thanks for the welcome, I was here before as mjple but been away for a while.

[FirelightSpirit]

I was here before as mjple but been away for a while.

Then you might remember that we had The Great Crash in February, which wiped a lot of stuff from the system, including my original thread on this book, which did get a few replies.

[megustaleer]

I was here before as mjple but been away for a while. It's good to have you back. We lost the registrations of everyone who joined between December 2005 and February this year in The Crash that FirelightSpirit referred to. Happily quite a few have rejoined us, although some have taken a little longer than others to return to the fold. Better late than never:D

We managed to restore a lot of the posts and threads that were lost from that 14month period, as they had been cached by Google, but were not able to recover them all before Google finally got rid of them. The Bone People seems to be one of the missing ones, as I also know I posted on the original thread.

Unfortunately, I can't add much to any discussion about the book, as I read it 20 years ago and can't remember enough detail to be able to discuss it.
I know that I found it a fascinating and extremely interesting book, and enjoyable - if that is the right word?
I remember that the rest of my reading group got very caught up discussing the theme of child abuse. We were all at that time the mothers of small children, and this affected their approach to the story.

It's certainly well worth reading.

[James]

Thanks for the responses.

Yes sadly the abuse is a fairly central theme and divides opinion on the book as a whole, but in my opinion is has been added for merit to the story and not for the shock factor authors seems to enjoy these days.

[ottilie]

Aha- found it!!!

I've just finished The Bone People and absolutely loved it.
I agree with FirelightSpirit's comment about the poetry and quality of writing, it totally won me over.
I struggled with the beginning; rapidly changing narrators made for a rather disjointed feeling, but 25 pages in I started to care about the characters and needed to find out where the novel would take them.
Since having my own children I really struggle to read about child abuse, and detach myself emotionally if I encounter it in a novel, but I found it curiously easy to sympathise with all three main characters despite their flaws and sometimes shocking actions.
There was a lot of Maori dialogue to be looked up in the glossary at the back which disturbed the flow at times. Footnotes on the relevant pages may have worked better.
The end surprised me; given the way the story was playing out and the fact that (literally!) no punches were pulled, but it still felt honest and satisfying.

I'm intrigued by the similarities between the author and female protagonist.
The author is called Keri Hulme, the character Kerewin (Kere) Holmes. They both share European/Maori origins and apparently Hulme describes herself as an "aromantic asexual", which ties in with Kerewin's assertions of herself in the novel.
I will have to do some digging around this and see what I can find out!

As I must return the copy I read to my friend, I plan to buy one for myself. This is definitely a book that warrants rereading.

[FirelightSpirit]

Glad you liked it, ottilie. :)

If you do end up finding out more about connections between the author and protagonist please do post on them. I'd be interested in reading them.