Another week has just come to an end, so naturally I have just finished another book and it is time again to write a review! And this one is going to be a little longer than normal, for the book I am discussing today will stay with me for some time.
I was only introduced to Sanjida Kay’s writing earlier this year, when I came across her most recent psychological thriller, The Stolen Child. I was immediately taken with her writing style, and the depth of description and detail that she put into the novel, while at the same time creating a tense, complex, and unpredictable plot.
So of course that meant that her debut thriller, Bone By Bone, had to go straight on to my TBR list. And from start to finish I was completely absorbed, accounting for one or two very late nights!
Pages: 336
Published: 3rd March 2016
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Laura and her nine-year-old daughter Autumn have recently moved from London to Bristol, and are still settling into their new life. They are both almost starting again from scratch – Laura has made a career change and is studying towards a degree, while Autumn has left her friends and her father behind, and has recently started at a new primary school.
Autumn soon becomes a victim of bullying, and is constantly set upon by an older boy called Levi. The boy is confronted by Laura, who pushes him to the floor in an incident that has serious consequences for them both.
The campaign of bullying intensifies and gradually escalates to the point where Autumn is a completely isolated and helpless figure, suffering not only verbal and physical torment, but also from cyber-bullying and body-shaming.
Laura is equally helpless, mistrusted by her peers as her life also becomes impossible due to the actions of Levi and his irate father. But how far would she go to protect her daughter?
Just like in The Stolen Child, the first thing that jumped out at me almost from the first page was Kay’s unwavering attention to detail. She really sets the scene – the vividness of her descriptions, the subtle and refined eloquence of her writing – it is as if the settings she creates are characters in their own right.
I gained a lot of enrichment from this book through simply taking in the merest detail, and once again the supporting concepts are so well researched. I especially liked the little bits on social anthropology, one of many hints that Kay’s writing is influenced by such a broad range of things.
It is set in Bristol, which is where I happen to live, so that helped me relate to it even more, but of course great writing and scene-setting needs to be supported by a strong story, and thankfully Bone By Bone is a success here, too.
The question of how far one would go to protect their child is a trope that I have read a lot of recently, but I very much appreciated this particular take on it. This book is about bullying, and the serious damage it can cause to the victim, while in Laura’s case it demonstrates how one incident can have major consequences.
The various themes of bullying are handled exceptionally well, as they are a tricky subject matter. Kay captures the hurtfulness of the situation perfectly, and this is enhanced by telling the story from both Laura and Autumn’s viewpoints. Both are likeable characters, and my heart broke for Autumn a lot, but at the same time it helped me connect to the book even more.
There is no real mystery about this book. Unlike most psychological thrillers, it does not contain any real twists. There is never any doubt who the villains are, and there is no attempt to disguise that. However, that did not detract from the reading experience for me. If that is not what you prefer, then The Stolen Child is one I would recommend!
I realise that this is more of a eulogy than a review, but I do have one or two minor negative points. First, I thought the prologue was unnecessary as it is basically a passage from later in the book, and also there could have been a few more loose ends resolved at the end.
So all in all, an excellent read – memorable and emotional.
For me, this was a five-star read. I gave the book this rating partly for sentimental reasons and the way in which Kay handles its themes, but it is one I firmly connected with, and for me, those are often the best.
Kay’s next thriller, My Mother’s Secret, comes out in just a few weeks. Can’t wait!
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Stephen Reads Books 