If you need a new book to read, check out The Bone People, which won the Booker Prize in 1985. Author Keri Hulme is one of New Zealand's celebrated authors.
This is one of my favorite books of all time. It is an incredibly powerful, emotional, and sometimes disturbing experience. The Bone People centers on three broken souls who come together in a story of family, love, violence, death, culture, and redemption. These 3 characters are: Simon, a mysterious, abused orphan; Joe, a Maori man embittered by the loss of his wife and son; and Kerewin, a strong and compassionate part-Maori woman estranged from her family. These three characters slowly weave themselves together, experiencing pain, loss, and eventually, healing.
Hulme shifts narrative voice through out the story, includes Maori language and mythology, and uses an unconventional style of writing that may not be for everyone, it takes some getting used to. But I highly recommend The Bone People. The story will pull you in and the characters will stick with you long after you've closed the book.
Check it out!
Megan S. has placed a request for this novel from the San Francisco Public Library. I'm 6th in the queue, which is not too shabby. Well-developed characters = good reading. Thanks for the recommendation!
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