Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Bone People by Keri Hulme

20 reviews

marioncromb's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Wonderful to see an aroace (and nonbinary/gnc) main character in a Booker Prize winning book from the 80s! Honestly building a medieval stone tower by the sea to live and draw in with a well stocked booze cellar is goals tbh.
I really enjoyed spending time in the NZ setting with these characters and the ways they clashed and grew together. The book sets up several mysteries at the start that are fun to unravel and come back to at the end, although maybe some moral unease on my end at the enjoyment in unraveling one of those mysteries being '

what exactly was the traumatic abuse that happened to this child'.

The book is very long though and in the second half I was definitely flagging in places where it felt morr indulgent or repetitive. Its a little deus ex machina at the end as well, i wasn't totally convinced things could be fixed that easily, realistically. Although arguably it is about the hope of things being better, this time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, and Grief

Minor: Cannibalism, Addiction, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Drug use, Excrement, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, and Acephobia/Arophobia

wytherwytch's review

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I think there is a lot more to this novel than meets the eye, and it surprises me that to date I havent read a single review that really reflects on this

I found this book very intriguing. I can't help but think that this book is some how autobiographical on the part of the author. One character in particular - Kerewin Holmes - doesn't seem terribly far removed from our author, Keri Hulme. I cannot help but wonder if Keri can relate to other two characters and their experiences as well and bearing in mind the subject matter, that really does give me pause for thought. Many decry this book for its subject matter of child abuse and violence... but I suspect that this is more autobiographical than many give credit. 

Bearing in that in mind, this is a beautifully crafted story. It's main themes, I would say, are family and forgiveness. That might be out of place for some in today's world but in other ways Hulme was well ahead of her time with her asexual main character for one

I know many can't handle the veer from reality to the mystical at the end but it seems to me that Hulme was also touching on something personal here. Something about forgiveness. And if so the ending might not be everyone... but also makes total sense

Personally I didn't always appreciate the poetic writing but I understand this is Hulme's voice. And as such, I respect it. 

The more I reflect, the more I think this book was well deserving of the Booker

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Abandonment, Violence, and Child abuse

Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Cancer

Minor: Pedophilia, Animal death, and Vomit

nisobe's review against another edition

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Death

jenna_smuszkiewicz's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

I decided to pick up this book because I heard the main character, Kerewin, was aroace and I wanted to read more of that rep. It is very clear that Kerewin is aroace which is good. This book was just not for me. I wanted to learn more about the child's past, go in the Kerewin's path and exactly what was going on with her, and dive into the mental health of the child's adoptive father, Joe. We go a little into all of those but not enough to make the picture clear to me. 

After the event

(Joe beating up Simon so hard he goes into a coma)

, I don't understand what is going on with the characters there, especially Joe and Kerewin. And I don't know how we get from what's happened in this book to the ending.

I don't understand how they can have a happy ending without reconciling more of their past and mental health struggles and child abuse that was permitted to happen

Maybe this book is meant for other people. I get that. If you do decide to read, please read the content warnings. There is a lot in this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Child abuse, Drug use, Medical trauma, and Grief

Moderate: Chronic illness and Abandonment

Minor: Pedophilia and Adult/minor relationship

meghar's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Blood, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Violence, Racism, Physical abuse, Cancer, Child abuse, and Medical trauma

weavedreamer's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Alcoholism, and Child abuse

anacereading's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Violence, Child abuse, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Blood, Abandonment, Ableism, Vomit, Animal death, Bullying, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Medical content

Minor: Death of parent, Excrement, Confinement, Car accident, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racial slurs

exiles's review

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Alcohol, Child abuse, and Misogyny

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Pedophilia and Homophobia

impla77's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

The good parts of this book: The prose is interesting and complicated, if a little pretentious. Even though most of the book doesn’t really have a plot, I didn’t find it boring

HOWEVER, the characters are just straight up.. horrible people, and in the last 100 pages, there is just fantastical deus ex machinas out of left field. A happy ending randomly after quite a harrowing start to the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness

Moderate: Pedophilia, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, and Ableism

kellysoluri's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, and Suicide attempt