The Bone People: Booker Prize Winner (A Novel)

In the preface to her novel, “The Bone People,” author Keri Hulme explains the eccentricities and oddities in her writing that brought about numerous publishers’ rejections. After seeing her quiet rant, I knew the reading would be difficult and I wasn’t sure if my lethargy would get me through it. I reluctantly opened the book, struggled through early pages, and discovered I was doing okay. My diligence outdistanced my indolence and, indeed, I found the book riveting in its complexity and theme, if not terribly entertaining.New Zealander Kerewin Holmes lives in seclusion in a rustic six-story tower she built. When completed it was a skeletal structure of concrete and exposed wood that she adopted as her “glimmering retreat.” Part Maori, she is isolated after a breakup with her family with no desire of having people infringe on her solitude. Along comes a strange young boy, Simon, who refuses to leave her alone and eventually his father, Joe, joins him in disrupting her life.She develops a fondness for the boy, and eventually comes to enjoy the company of the father until the disturbing details of Joe’s physical punishment on his disturbed son comes apparent. Kerewin lays down the law to Joe on beating his son. But, as her relationship with Simon deepens, she too becomes victim to the boy’s irrational behavior and an explosive episode ends in disaster.The scenic beauty of New Zealand is masterfully depicted, as is the complex culture of the Maori. The brutality of the punishment of Simon is hard to take but essential in that the book is a study of human frailty and inability to cope with the behavior of a troubled child. The internal dialogue of the characters is difficult to follow at times but again is essential to the heart of the story. The entire gist of the story as the author has chosen to present it makes for strenuous reading, but I found method in the writer’s madness: It’s a mystical look at the difficulty of life with this type of child.A bit of a warning: This is neither glamorous nor frivolous writing and might be a turn off to some. There is no solid ending, only a sort of disappearing into obscurity. I found that it provided a different insight into a world we know little about and that’s the reason for my reading obsession. I want to experience the diversity I find in books.Schuyler T WallaceAuthor of TIN LIZARD TALES

Beautifully written, The Bone People is a most compelling and true evocation of loneliness and attempts by deeply flawed people to connect with each other, totally honest about neediness, longing and the potential for brutality in even the most decent people. Some reviewers thought the writing was obscure but it's far from James Joyce... occasional Maori words that prompt reference to the glossary in the back, but a lot of them can be safely skipped is so inclined.At the risk of a spoiler, I will say that the ending felt totally false to me. I'll pretend to myself at least that it ended 30 pages sooner so it can remain a perfect book.

I wanted to explore outside my comfort zone & discover a new author: and what a discovery this has been! The Bone People is among the most beautifully written, moving books I've read: I would rank it next to Virginia Woolf's The Waves and Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury; experimental to a point, but like Woolf, still clearly narrative and very poetical. Keri Hulme's prose skillfully weaves in Maori expressions, and sometimes I found myself so taken in by the sound of those consonants that I forgot I couldn't understand the language and check the explanatory notes at the end of the book. I won't summarize the story line: suffice it to say that it delves into the question what it means to be human, to be an outsider, to love & live with others, to face death, to face the truth about oneself. The language of the novel reflects the complexity of what it is to be human: it is multi-voiced, richly textured, vibrant, musical... What a treat!

If you had problems with Joyce's Ulysses or Finnegan, this book will present a similar challenge, though more readable once you get used to the flow. Hulme is a brilliant, creative writer with a strong sense of narrative and the importance of detail presented with the sensibility and craftsmanship of a poet. Once you catch the drift of each character having an inner and an outer voice, as well as the usual good and bad selves at war within each of us, it becomes easier. Hulme is a spontaneous writer, but mostly careful in her use of punctuation to give you guidance to these voices. It will take reading the whole book to even begin to see the way Keri Hulme gathers, merges, and presents Maori and Celtic spirituality as simply another expression of all human condition. As a reader, I found myself questioning what was real, what was dream, what was afterlife, and how these various states are part of everything we do every day. It was interesting, beautiful, thought and debate provoking, a classic in my sense of the word, which means it is one of the books I intend to reread at least two more times before I depart this world --- if I ever do based on my reading of The Bone People.

What a classic. A new world, so much so that you'll need the glossary at the back. New Zealand, indigenous cultures, lyrical writing. You're going to a new place. Better strap on your seat belt.

A fabulous novel about three deeply wounded people who found healing as they found each other. The New Zealand setting was an eye opener for me as I knew nothing about Maoris and New Zealand before reading the book. I read it for a book club and read it again for the sheer joy of the writing.

The language from almost the start spun me into a dream like state of consciousness. The characters are all flawed, even tragically flawed, even at times monstrous in their behaviors. However the author shines a bright light unflinchingly on painful material yet does not judge. These are rich multi-dimensional characters that can be both likable and odious. No easy scape goats here. The last segment adds a magical realism plot line that I enjoyed, but I know that is a show stopper for some. The author is very free in her use of language including some odd spellings and very ornate turns of phrase. I think these techniques make sense in context, but others may find them off putting.

Interesting and engaging read, I enjoyed it. I am visiting New Zealand for the first time soon and wanted some novels beforehand this was an interesting insight into the culture. Very well written and the characters all have depth.

A hard, but rewarding read; Keri Hulme takes us into the company of three damaged people in a small New Zealand community.Kerewin is disturbed by the sudden presence of Simon, the mute six year old, who has a propensity for trouble. When his polite father arrives to execute his son's intrusion, she recognises him as the mouthy drunk she recently saw in the local pub.There is a terrible violence underpinning the relationship of father and son along with a great affection which is gradually revealed through the interaction of the main characters. The tie that binds them is woven tight and results in Kerewin's consummate work of art that will hold them together forever.Somewhere underneath the tangled emotional web runs a Maori sensibility that surfaces in a mystical revelation when the three are forcibly separated. Subconscious archetypes abound as the story moves to an equable conclusion.The language can be evocatively descriptive, earthily direct, or bilingual. In some ways it mirrors the art that Kerewin is working so hard to create.This is a deeply involving book that takes the reader on an almost spiritual quest.Its happy ending is of its time for with such content it would be unlikely that an author now would allow such a "satisfactory" conclusion; the world and its attitudes have moved on.

A little too much of the writer's poetry for me, and also dream sequences that dragged a bit. The flavour of the book if very seventies hippy, but worth reading for the sympathetic characters and their relationships. I read it just before visiting New Zealand and the author's evocation of the landscapes and customs added to my enjoyment of that wonderful country. Generally, a worthwhile read.

a true gem of a read

Arrived promptly - book a little worn but readable