Summary: Bone Gap by Laura Ruby is a contemporary fantasy mixed with realistic fiction, that artfully combines elements of mythology with the trudge of daily life and themes of love and loss. It uses multiple character perspectives to explore these concepts. Finn and Sean live together in Bone Gap, abandoned by everyone and more alone than not. Roza has been abducted by a strange man and is trapped within his hell disguised as heaven. And no matter how many times Finn tries to describe to the people of Bone Gap her kidnapping, nobody believes him. From magical horses and bee-eyed girls, Finn tries to sort out the truth from the myth, and endlessly searches for his missing friend.
Review
I started this book hesitantly, the style felt unfamiliar and awkward for the first few chapters, the characters were confusing, and the plot impossible to follow. I thought about putting it down, but I decided to give it one last chance.
And I'm so glad I did.
This book, once it got into its' rhythm, was amazingly written and so delicately and artistically dealt with complex concepts. I was amazed, by the end, by the way the author had basically defined love and at the same time left it open for reader interpretation. The themes this book expressed were profound, and I appreciated the fact that if focused on many emotional aspects of life, instead of just one static issue. It allowed the characters to be whole people, instead of defined by a trait or feeling. I also loved the style of this book, and the way it was written. There were so many good metaphors and similes in this book, and excellent comparisons. The writing style was so freshly unique and beautiful, I couldn't get enough of it.
I loved the characters in this book. Basically all of them. I enjoyed reading from every point of view, and that's saying something.
Another favorite aspect of this book was how it combined mythos and reality, without defining anything as mythology. Other nerds like myself may have recognized the Fields of Asphodel and the allusions to the myth of Persephone and Hades. But it was never explicitly stated, just carefully woven into the story. It was excellent. I also loved how myths were, before that, constantly mentioned, but only in a background way, like a books on a shelf in Petey's room. Other themes and symbols were threaded throughout as well, the most obvious being corn and bees. It gave the book a strong aesthetic and sense of personality, that keeps it differentiated from other books in your mind.
Finally, I loved the exploration of relationships throughout this book- relationship between brothers, lovers, bullies, dogs, cats, plants, nature, town, etc. Also the way it dealt with beauty- as an appearance and as a true expression of a person.
My only drawback to this book was that I felt the ending was rushed, and not all of the plot was closed. Some things in the ending still didn't quite add up, and I found myself feeling like it was too easy.
Overall, I thought this book excellent, and highly recommend picking it up. What did you think of it? Did you pick up all the subtle themes threaded throughout? Comment below <3
