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19th out of 28 books
—
11 voters
Bone Game: A Novel
by
Louis Owens
Bone Game is a murder mystery on a grand scale. Cole McCurtain, a mixed-blood Indian professor of Indian Studies at Santa Cruz, California, is haunted by dreams dating back to events of Spanish California. Images of a Spanish priest murdered in 1812, a rearing grizzly bear, and a black-and-white painted Indian who offers bones in his extended hands come at a time when dism...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
September 15th 1996
by University of Oklahoma Press
(first published 1994)
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Louis Owens’ Bone Game is a deeply psychological murder mystery surrounding Cole McCurtain, a mix blooded Indian, who is a professor of English and Indian Studies at UC Santa Cruz. Owens implements many aspects of traditional Native American storytelling, such as the trickster figure, and the myth of the Gambler. Ghost walk and think among people in Bone Game; Owens seamlessly transitions from modern mystery thriller to mystical folklore, tying all these aspects together to tell a story about th...more
Cole McCurtain is a Native American studies professor at University of Santa Cruz. He's also half Native American. However, he's lost what that used to mean to him. All that's left is the jargon he spits out for his students semester after semester. However, when dismembered bodies start showing up on the beaches of Santa Cruz and Cole starts seeing a man known as the Gambler outside his window, Cole realizes that something has changed and he no longer has the connection to figure it out. Owens...more
It is books like this that make you fear when you will find another one as good. The Sharpest Sight is the other book by Louis Owens that I have read. This one is better. More full and whole, the prose is strong and the narrative is quick paced, Native American-noir, a term Owens should have capitalized on.
Similar to all his fiction books, the main character, Cole McCurtain, is based on Owens himself. He was a half-breed Choctaw/Irish. A professor of English/Creative Writing and Native American...more
Similar to all his fiction books, the main character, Cole McCurtain, is based on Owens himself. He was a half-breed Choctaw/Irish. A professor of English/Creative Writing and Native American...more
This is a really fun read, with a fast-paced and intriguing murder mystery storyline, interesting characters, and lots of humor. The central character, Cole McCurtain, a mixed blood professor of literature in California, is an engaging protagonist; his daughter, Abby, is a likable and believable young woman; his friend Alex, a fellow professor and a Navajo Indian who likes to wear dresses is funny without becoming the butt of jokes by the book or the author.
The best thing about this novel is it...more
The best thing about this novel is it...more
Bone game is about rituals in Native American tribes. The novel is incredibly intense and mysterious at all times. The line between real and fantasy becomes blurred and almost invisible at most points in the novel. The novel focuses on the ritual and story and almost has nothing to do with white think, so the read can be quite confusing. However, this book is well worth it for any writer looking for a different scope of imagination.
This was a very interesting book, especially because I lived in the Bay Area during the time period in which the novel is set. I love how Owens attacks Native American stereotypes by diving into them and creates a book that makes the reader question culture, academia, and involves a murder mystery all at the same time.
I suspect many readers will find this story a bit of a jumble, but if they hang in there they will be rewarded. The characters are layered, and interesting.
This is what a novel written by a literary critic looks like. The best part of the story is the (hyperbolic?) depiction of UC-Santa Cruz.
Filled with dark humor and even darker history, Louis Owens makes you remember that practically ever part of the United States is haunted by atrocities of the past that seem to be forgotten. He employs an actual series of serial killing that occurred during the 1970s around UC Santa Cruz as the basis for this novel, which revolves around indigenous tribal spirits rising up from the past to wreak havoc on the present and with obviously good reason! In any case, now whenever I visit Santa Cruz, I...more
Great mystery with some native magical elements!
♥
Apr 22, 2013
moshimoshineko
marked it as wishlist
Apr 19, 2013
Sarah Worley
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Apr 07, 2013
Mike Heyd
marked it as to-read
Apr 02, 2013
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Grace Afsari-mamagani
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Jan 16, 2013
Zeo
marked it as to-read
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