The Bone People

 

The Bone People
by Keri Hulme
★★★

Set in New Zealand, Kerewin is a reclusive artist living alone in a tower by the sea. One day a young mute boy named Simon shows up at her home and soon insinuates himself into her life. Simon’s stepfather Joe finishes out the odd trio of troubled souls. Together they make a strange family of sorts, but the darker undertones in their relationships soon bubble to the surface.

I’ve never read anything quite like Hulme’s style. It’s a blend of narrative, inner monologue, and poetry. Some parts feel like stream of consciousness, in others we hear what someone is thinking while someone else is talking to them. Usually a style of writing that chaotic would really bother me, but somehow all of the distinct elements work well together and create the tone for the whole novel. 

The odd group of characters that doesn’t quite fit anywhere manages to fit together quite nicely. The subject material is tough; child abuse and alcoholism are two of the main issues dealt with in the story. I felt like there were many unanswered questions in the plot and the final third of the novel felt a bit confusing to me.

BOTTOM LINE: One of the most unique novels I’ve ever read. I’m glad I read it if for no other reason than that. I did love seeing Maori culture through a new lens and getting to know Kerewin and Simon. I wish the end had been easier to follow, but the regardless it was a singular reading experience. 

*There is a glossary of Maori words in the back of the book, but it isn’t alphabetized so I couldn’t ever find what I was looking for as I read the book.

Kiwi Tracks

Kiwi Tracks
A New Zealand Journey
by Andrew Stevenson
★★☆

Kiwi Tracks is about the author’s adventure trekking through New Zealand and it wavers between self-pitying and optimism thought out the book. He’s so negative in the first half that it was hard to remain interested. He writes more about his loneliness and the breakup that preceded the trip than about the location or his experiences there. The second half was drastically better. He finally gets past his loneliness and begins to reflect on the gorgeous land around him and the kind people who live there. 

I love how he talks about the unexpected deep connections you sometimes form with travelers on the same path. He also touches on the intense but often indescribable experiences you can have while traveling. You’re never truly able to explain them to others once you return home, but they stay with you forever. Stevenson’s journey was a solitary one and he talks about the self-reflection that a trip like that encourages. It can be both wonderful and painful in equal measures.

I did appreciate his honesty about the bad travel days. Sometimes you are lonely or incredibly sick or you miss your train, all of that is part of travel. It’s not all rainbows and brilliant experiences, but those bad spots make everything else shine a bit brighter. My favorite parts of the book are his descriptions of the incredible things he saw and the details he provides about the history of the country. I loved learning more about the native Maori people.

BOTTOM LINE: I definitely recommend this one if you’re about to travel to New Zealand, which is why I read it. Otherwise skip it, because there are better travel memoirs out there with less moaning about life. The author was so depressed and that came through in every page of his writing. I like it when the author’s personality comes through, but I still want to learn about the area or hear about what they did/saw there. It can’t all be their internal monologue as they reflect on their own life choices. 

“Because I travelled alone, I have more intensely experienced a foreign culture and language in a country far, far away, and discovered an independence and courage I never knew I had before. Now I know better what I want and who I am.”

Mini Reviews: Whale Rider, Here and Now and Cinder

 
Whale Rider
by Witi Ihimaera
★★★
 
I was interested in this one because I’ve been wanting to read more books set in New Zealand and Australia before I travel there later this year. This fictional story introduces us to Kahu, the 8-year-old granddaughter of the Maori chief Koro. She is a disappointment to Koro because only sons can carry on the honored tradition of being a Maori whale rider. Despite Kahu’s clear connection with the whales, her grandfather never sees her for who she is.
 
BOTTOM LINE: The short novel doesn’t give readers long to get to know the characters and perhaps that was why I didn’t love it. I definitely liked learning more about the Maori culture and reading more about the myths in their culture. It’s also a great story for young girls to read. It encourages them to embrace who they are, even if society tells them they aren’t worthy of their male counterparts. I would highly recommend the film version as well, it’s wonderful!
 

The Here and Now

by Ann Brashares

★★☆

 

The latest in a string of YA dystopian books comes from the author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Prenna is part of a time traveling group that’s returned to the past to help save their future. The story is one part “When You Reach Me” and one part “Twelve Monkeys.”

 

Ethan is a “time native” who meets Prenna after she has traveled to the past. The two have an undeniable connection even though she does everything she can to keep her distance and obey the rules of her group.

 

The book definitely has a message it’s trying to get across and it’s not very subtle about it. To the point where it felt more like a PSA then a novel at times it felt like a PSA. We’re all ruining the planet and soon the mosquitos will kill us all. Lest you think I’m exaggerating:

 

“We also wrecked the planets her own habitation and the mosquito will win. And less we succeed in changing of course, it will win.”

 

BOTTOM LINE: Outside of an overarching environmental message the book felt very forgettable. Only days after finishing it I’m having trouble remembering characters’ names and plot points. Another is a long line of YA books that don’t leave a deep mark.

 

“Sometimes I only hear what we don’t say. I only think the things I shouldn’t think and I remember what I should forget. I hear the ghosts in this room, all the people we lost in our old life who are crying out to be remembered.”

 

"No matter how our hearts break, we bend toward life, don't we. We bend toward hope."

 

Cinder

by Marissa Meyer

★★★

This is the first books in the Lunar Chronicles, an incredibly successful series. Cinder is a cyborg in this retelling of Cinderella. Some of the classic elements remain the same, there’s an evil stepmother and a handsome prince, but many things have changed. Cinder is a talented mechanic with a strong personality and dreams of her own. I loved all of those aspects of the book.

 

My problem was that I knew most of the major plot points in the first 10% of the book (read it on my kindle.) I remember reading one line and thinking, well obviously this is what's going to happen and then in the final few pages that was the big “twist.” It wouldn’t have bothered me so much if they hadn’t made that a huge reveal at the end. I felt like I didn’t even need to read the remaining 90% of the book at that point.

 

BOTTOM LINE: It’s a quick read and an interesting one. The predictability let me down, but I definitely give it points for being an original version of a well-known story. I haven’t decided if I’ll read the next book yet.