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The Singing Bone
A convicted killer's imminent parole forces a woman to confront the nightmarish past she's spent twenty years escaping.
1979: Seventeen-year-old Alice Pearson can't wait to graduate from high school and escape the small town in upstate New York where she grew up. In the meantime, she and her three closest friends spend their time listening to Led Zeppelin, avoiding their dysfunctional families, and getting high in the nearby woods. Then they meet the enigmatic Jack Wyck, who lives in the rambling old farmhouse across the reservoir. Enticed by his quasi-mystical philosophy and the promise of a constant party, Alice and her friends join Mr. Wyck's small group of devoted followers. But once in his thrall, their heady, freewheeling idyll takes an increasingly sinister turn, and Alice finds herself crossing psychological and moral boundaries that erode her hold on reality. When Mr. Wyck's grand scheme goes wrong, culminating in a night of horrific murders, Alice's already crumbling world falls into chaos, and she barely makes her way back to normal life.
Twenty years later, Alice has created a quiet life for herself as a professor of folklore, but an acclaimed filmmaker threatens to expose her secret past when he begins making a documentary about Jack Wyck's crimes and the cult-like following that he continues to attract even from his prison cell. Jack Wyck has never forgiven Alice for testifying against him, and as he plots to overturn his conviction and regain his freedom, she is forced to confront the long suppressed memories of what happened to her in the farmhouse—and her complicity in the evil around her.
The Singing Bone is a spellbinding examination of guilt, innocence, and the fallibility of memory. Weaving together folklore, seventies-era anxiety about sex, drugs, and cults, and dominated by the indelibly menacing Jack Wyck, this richly imagined novel heralds the arrival of a remarkable new voice in literary mystery.
1979: Seventeen-year-old Alice Pearson can't wait to graduate from high school and escape the small town in upstate New York where she grew up. In the meantime, she and her three closest friends spend their time listening to Led Zeppelin, avoiding their dysfunctional families, and getting high in the nearby woods. Then they meet the enigmatic Jack Wyck, who lives in the rambling old farmhouse across the reservoir. Enticed by his quasi-mystical philosophy and the promise of a constant party, Alice and her friends join Mr. Wyck's small group of devoted followers. But once in his thrall, their heady, freewheeling idyll takes an increasingly sinister turn, and Alice finds herself crossing psychological and moral boundaries that erode her hold on reality. When Mr. Wyck's grand scheme goes wrong, culminating in a night of horrific murders, Alice's already crumbling world falls into chaos, and she barely makes her way back to normal life.
Twenty years later, Alice has created a quiet life for herself as a professor of folklore, but an acclaimed filmmaker threatens to expose her secret past when he begins making a documentary about Jack Wyck's crimes and the cult-like following that he continues to attract even from his prison cell. Jack Wyck has never forgiven Alice for testifying against him, and as he plots to overturn his conviction and regain his freedom, she is forced to confront the long suppressed memories of what happened to her in the farmhouse—and her complicity in the evil around her.
The Singing Bone is a spellbinding examination of guilt, innocence, and the fallibility of memory. Weaving together folklore, seventies-era anxiety about sex, drugs, and cults, and dominated by the indelibly menacing Jack Wyck, this richly imagined novel heralds the arrival of a remarkable new voice in literary mystery.
313 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2016
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2608 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
October 13, 2015
Dark and suspenseful, The Singing Bone by Beth Hahn tells the story of a group of teenage friends who are taken in by a master manipulator who has life changing plans for them. Beautifully written, the novel features vivid characterization and a plot that pulls you in. Beth Hahn is a writer I've followed since she was a child (yes, she's my daughter) and I'm excited that her novel will soon be available for you to read!
April 2, 2016
The Singing Bone is about four friends Alice, Stover, Molly, and Trina who are lured into a Manson-like cult in 1979 led by the charismatic Jack Wyck. In 1999, a documentary filmmaker reconnects with the former Wyckians as he tries to make sense of events that lead to murder.
Although I found the tone creepy and could not read this late at night, I was completely enthralled with The Singing Bone. It's well-written and it was fascinating to see how the characters transformed in Wyck's chaotic world.
I highly recommend, but if you get scared easily (like me) avoid reading after dark!
I received this book from GoodReads in exchange for an honest review.
Although I found the tone creepy and could not read this late at night, I was completely enthralled with The Singing Bone. It's well-written and it was fascinating to see how the characters transformed in Wyck's chaotic world.
I highly recommend, but if you get scared easily (like me) avoid reading after dark!
I received this book from GoodReads in exchange for an honest review.
March 5, 2016
The Singing Bone will sneak up on you; you won't realize how caught up you are in this story until you look up and see how much time has passed. Almost like the young boy Stuart, the reader watches the story of Alice and her friends as they become family to Jack Wyck, a convicted killer. The stories twist, pile on top of one another, switching between characters at will to give another perspective. From past to present we see the terrors of Mr. Wyck's home, we watch from the perspective of a documentary filmmaker, from the eyes of Alice a once 17 year old caught up in the romance, and from the eyes of Stuart the young brother of one of the girls. As a reader it's almost like you have ingested the drugs right alongside the characters, it's unsettling, it's disjointed, and it creeps into your mind and plants a seed.
I'm not sure any characters were made to be likable, even in 1999 as an adult Alice is odd, a professor of folklore, and unable to face her past. I instantly pictured her, I understood how her life had become folklore itself, how she couldn't separate realities from fantasies. Then there's Jack Wyck, Mr. Wyck, a character not unlike Charles Manson. Through drugs, sex, and companionship he offers four misguided youths a home, a place to get away, but also a place to conform them to his ways. He changes their views, brainwashes them, and uses them in his schemes. From lies to get money and random children's clothing, it is obvious that Mr. Wyck is a bad man. What Beth Hahn does well in her writing though, is allow you to feel like Alice and see how easy it was to get caught up. She watches from the fringe, taking it in but not involved. Her youth is different than the others, her brain and innocence a draw to Mr. Wyck, and when she does step in it seems things start to fall apart even more. I love that she never accepted it all, even though she was just as caught up in it as the others. It's just like we've all been told, there's seduction involved in the cult-following, it's romanticized to the point that the characters feel like this is okay.
I enjoyed The Singing Bone far more than I expected to. I actually avoided it at first, it didn't feel like I was in the mood to read it, but once I started I couldn't stop. I loved the investigative filmmaker, his outside perspective at the current Wyckian followers, at Alice and her untold truths, and at Jack Wyck himself. I enjoyed the tales, ever changing, and always sinister. While it is incredibly slow moving, I found myself searching for any moment in the day to pick it up, to find out what was next. I loved the development, the writing style, and how the story wraps itself in the end, just like a folklore tale.
I'm not sure any characters were made to be likable, even in 1999 as an adult Alice is odd, a professor of folklore, and unable to face her past. I instantly pictured her, I understood how her life had become folklore itself, how she couldn't separate realities from fantasies. Then there's Jack Wyck, Mr. Wyck, a character not unlike Charles Manson. Through drugs, sex, and companionship he offers four misguided youths a home, a place to get away, but also a place to conform them to his ways. He changes their views, brainwashes them, and uses them in his schemes. From lies to get money and random children's clothing, it is obvious that Mr. Wyck is a bad man. What Beth Hahn does well in her writing though, is allow you to feel like Alice and see how easy it was to get caught up. She watches from the fringe, taking it in but not involved. Her youth is different than the others, her brain and innocence a draw to Mr. Wyck, and when she does step in it seems things start to fall apart even more. I love that she never accepted it all, even though she was just as caught up in it as the others. It's just like we've all been told, there's seduction involved in the cult-following, it's romanticized to the point that the characters feel like this is okay.
I enjoyed The Singing Bone far more than I expected to. I actually avoided it at first, it didn't feel like I was in the mood to read it, but once I started I couldn't stop. I loved the investigative filmmaker, his outside perspective at the current Wyckian followers, at Alice and her untold truths, and at Jack Wyck himself. I enjoyed the tales, ever changing, and always sinister. While it is incredibly slow moving, I found myself searching for any moment in the day to pick it up, to find out what was next. I loved the development, the writing style, and how the story wraps itself in the end, just like a folklore tale.
March 10, 2016
A convicted killer`s imminent parole forces a woman to confront the nightmarish past she has spent twenty years escaping.
Have you ever read a book that really pulls you in even though you can't explain why?,I felt like that about this book.The story is not action packed or have any plot twists but it is very creepy and has an air of menace,you know something bad is going to happen,you just don't know or to who.
The story flips back and forth between 1979 when Alice and her friends Molly,Stover and Trina are drawn into Jack Wyck`s evil cult and 1999 when Wyck is trying to get his murder conviction overturned and has a new band of followers,one of which is intimidating Alice because his group feel that Alice is a traitor for testifying against Wyck in the original trial.Also adding to Alice's problems is an acclaimed filmmaker who is making a documentary about Jack Wyck and events that occurred while Alice and her friends were living at Wyck`s house,a film that could uncover secrets that Alice would prefer to stay hidden.
Jack Wyck is a truly evil,manipulative character and it is chilling how easy it is for him to slowly brainwash Alice and her friends and get them to do what he tells them and turn them against each other.Also it was chilling that there were youngsters that worshipped him,helped him intimidate Alice and believed he was innocent,it just goes to show how much power people like Jack Wyck have over people who are willing to believe,the story reminded me of the Charles Manson case from the late 60s.
I did feel quite a bit if sympathy for young Alice who I think was only looking for the love that she didn't get at home and was easily taking in by Jack Wyck`s charm.
The book has an open ending,could there be a sequel planned?,that would be interesting.It is Very well written,mixing folk lore,the culture of the 70s,cults,drugs,sex and the frightening fallibility of youth.This is Beth Hahn`s debut book and I will be very interested to know what she is going to follow it with because this is going to be a hard one to beat.
Thank you to Regan Arts for granting my request to read this via netgalley.
Have you ever read a book that really pulls you in even though you can't explain why?,I felt like that about this book.The story is not action packed or have any plot twists but it is very creepy and has an air of menace,you know something bad is going to happen,you just don't know or to who.
The story flips back and forth between 1979 when Alice and her friends Molly,Stover and Trina are drawn into Jack Wyck`s evil cult and 1999 when Wyck is trying to get his murder conviction overturned and has a new band of followers,one of which is intimidating Alice because his group feel that Alice is a traitor for testifying against Wyck in the original trial.Also adding to Alice's problems is an acclaimed filmmaker who is making a documentary about Jack Wyck and events that occurred while Alice and her friends were living at Wyck`s house,a film that could uncover secrets that Alice would prefer to stay hidden.
Jack Wyck is a truly evil,manipulative character and it is chilling how easy it is for him to slowly brainwash Alice and her friends and get them to do what he tells them and turn them against each other.Also it was chilling that there were youngsters that worshipped him,helped him intimidate Alice and believed he was innocent,it just goes to show how much power people like Jack Wyck have over people who are willing to believe,the story reminded me of the Charles Manson case from the late 60s.
I did feel quite a bit if sympathy for young Alice who I think was only looking for the love that she didn't get at home and was easily taking in by Jack Wyck`s charm.
The book has an open ending,could there be a sequel planned?,that would be interesting.It is Very well written,mixing folk lore,the culture of the 70s,cults,drugs,sex and the frightening fallibility of youth.This is Beth Hahn`s debut book and I will be very interested to know what she is going to follow it with because this is going to be a hard one to beat.
Thank you to Regan Arts for granting my request to read this via netgalley.
October 10, 2018
3 stars--I liked the book. Though I was going to give it 4 stars until the ending, which I thought fell flat.
This is the tale of a Manson-like cult leader and the young adults (or children) that get caught in his terrifying web. It reminded me quite a bit of "The Girls" by Emma Cline (but without the keen character insights).
Things I enjoyed: Alice's study of folklore. The subplot of the documentary. The chilling portrayal of Mr. Wyck. The description of Alice's mental state. Things I didn't enjoy: The ending (too abrupt for me) and lack of resolution about several (four or five!) key things that I was dying to know about.
This is the tale of a Manson-like cult leader and the young adults (or children) that get caught in his terrifying web. It reminded me quite a bit of "The Girls" by Emma Cline (but without the keen character insights).
Things I enjoyed: Alice's study of folklore. The subplot of the documentary. The chilling portrayal of Mr. Wyck. The description of Alice's mental state. Things I didn't enjoy: The ending (too abrupt for me) and lack of resolution about several (four or five!) key things that I was dying to know about.
May 19, 2016
There is not much of a mystery in this literary mystery, as the publisher calls it. It reads more like a coming-of-age story, if you grew up real fast with a brutal cult leader and had lots of drug-fueled sexcapades with all your friends. The events of the past are laid out from the start, and the only thing that is not clear is the extent of the violence, and the culpability of Alice, a surviving member.
There were some indications that this was going to be a thriller, with creepy cult wannabes lurking around every corner and a filmmaker living with death threats, but that came to nothing. In the end, it turned out to be a very well written novel about a girl who gets sucked into a cult and tries to come to grips with it as an adult. There's nothing wrong with that, and I don't wish to discourage anyone from reading it, but I've read this story so many times already. I didn't enjoy the many descriptions of cult life at all. It seems that all fictional cult leaders (and possibly real ones too) are surprisingly unimaginative and happy to do a half-hearted Manson routine; sex, drugs, murder; rinse, repeat. In the unlikely event I ever find myself leading a cult, there will be a wide range of activities to suit everybody and to avoid boredom. And puppies and champagne.
There were some indications that this was going to be a thriller, with creepy cult wannabes lurking around every corner and a filmmaker living with death threats, but that came to nothing. In the end, it turned out to be a very well written novel about a girl who gets sucked into a cult and tries to come to grips with it as an adult. There's nothing wrong with that, and I don't wish to discourage anyone from reading it, but I've read this story so many times already. I didn't enjoy the many descriptions of cult life at all. It seems that all fictional cult leaders (and possibly real ones too) are surprisingly unimaginative and happy to do a half-hearted Manson routine; sex, drugs, murder; rinse, repeat. In the unlikely event I ever find myself leading a cult, there will be a wide range of activities to suit everybody and to avoid boredom. And puppies and champagne.
June 5, 2016
Whoa, what a pleasant surprise! This was far better than I expected. I bought this as one of those cheapo ebook deals which meant that I hardly spent any money on it (if any at all). Usually, this is a kind of hit-or-miss situation with a strong lean towards the "miss" side, but from time to time I am lucky and actually manage to buy a decent book!
Well, putting my stingy book shopping habits aside: The Singing Bone is a well-written book about the notorious tale of the psychopathic cult leader and his devoted-up-to-a-very-unhealthy-point followers.
The seventies are almost over, when 17-year-old Alice Pearson and her small group of childhood friends fall under the spell of the seemingly enigmatic, but actually just narcissist criminal Jack Wyck and his two companions. The friend's original doubts about Mr. Wyck are soon forgotten after a load of drugs, parties, drugs, sex, drugs, some fake religious/ philosophical mumbo jumbo and yes: drugs! And voilà: Mr. Wyck has his followers or as he likes to call them his "animals"!
The story takes it turn and will only come as a shock to you if you have never heard of the Manson family before and what they did to Sharon Tate and her friends.
Beth Hahn tells the story from a variety of different perspectives which help to give the storytelling a new spin: mainly, through the eyes of Alice 20 years after her stint as a Wyckian cult member, and then through Hans, a filmmaker who is trying to make a documentary about Jack Wyck, now incarcerated, the cult he represented and his vice-like grip on young people, many of whom still see him as a great leader.
Even though each narrative is rather slow-paced and even though you'll have a pretty good idea how at least one storyline's going to end, this book manages to lure you into its darkness and makes you want to carry on reading way past your bedtime.
Only the ending left me a bit wanting: just a few questions unanswered. It actually felt like there's gonna be a sequel, but hey! - consider it bought! (Even as a non-cheapo offer. Gasp!)
Well, putting my stingy book shopping habits aside: The Singing Bone is a well-written book about the notorious tale of the psychopathic cult leader and his devoted-up-to-a-very-unhealthy-point followers.
The seventies are almost over, when 17-year-old Alice Pearson and her small group of childhood friends fall under the spell of the seemingly enigmatic, but actually just narcissist criminal Jack Wyck and his two companions. The friend's original doubts about Mr. Wyck are soon forgotten after a load of drugs, parties, drugs, sex, drugs, some fake religious/ philosophical mumbo jumbo and yes: drugs! And voilà: Mr. Wyck has his followers or as he likes to call them his "animals"!
The story takes it turn and will only come as a shock to you if you have never heard of the Manson family before and what they did to Sharon Tate and her friends.
Beth Hahn tells the story from a variety of different perspectives which help to give the storytelling a new spin: mainly, through the eyes of Alice 20 years after her stint as a Wyckian cult member, and then through Hans, a filmmaker who is trying to make a documentary about Jack Wyck, now incarcerated, the cult he represented and his vice-like grip on young people, many of whom still see him as a great leader.
Even though each narrative is rather slow-paced and even though you'll have a pretty good idea how at least one storyline's going to end, this book manages to lure you into its darkness and makes you want to carry on reading way past your bedtime.
Only the ending left me a bit wanting: just a few questions unanswered. It actually felt like there's gonna be a sequel, but hey! - consider it bought! (Even as a non-cheapo offer. Gasp!)
January 21, 2016
The Singing Bone is the story of a group of teenagers in NY who become involved with Jack Wyck, a narcissistic pyschopath, in 1979. "Mr. Wyck" as he likes to be called, seems to have the ability to control everyone he comes into contact with his Mansonesque methods including fear, intimidation, and violence. It all falls apart one fateful evening as several horrific acts of murder bring about the end of their mind-controlled, drug-filled life with Jack Wyck. The story toggles back and forth between the events leading up to that night in 1979 and 20 years later when filmaker Hans Loomis decides to make a documentary about the case as new DNA evidence that threatens to clear Wyck is produced.
Our main character, Alice, was the smart one in high school prior to becoming acquainted with Mr. Wyck. I found her character, as well as a few of the others, to be one dimensional and somewhat stereotyped. As her character devolved into someone completely out of touch with reality, I found the story becoming less and less believable. Her miraculous recovery (though she continued to have some convenient amnesia) and seamless transition into a professor of folklore was a package too neatly delivered for me.
There were also parts of the story I would have liked to hear more about. Where did all those clothes in the closet come from? Who did necklace did Alice found belong to? What was Wyck's connection to all of the other missing teenagers? It would have been interesting if bodies connecting Wyck to those disappearances could have been found. The ending of the book left me generally unsatisfied and I feel that with a few more twists and turns it could have been quite good.
My rating: 2.75 stars
Thanks to Regan Arts via NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
www.litwitwineanddine.com
Our main character, Alice, was the smart one in high school prior to becoming acquainted with Mr. Wyck. I found her character, as well as a few of the others, to be one dimensional and somewhat stereotyped. As her character devolved into someone completely out of touch with reality, I found the story becoming less and less believable. Her miraculous recovery (though she continued to have some convenient amnesia) and seamless transition into a professor of folklore was a package too neatly delivered for me.
There were also parts of the story I would have liked to hear more about. Where did all those clothes in the closet come from? Who did necklace did Alice found belong to? What was Wyck's connection to all of the other missing teenagers? It would have been interesting if bodies connecting Wyck to those disappearances could have been found. The ending of the book left me generally unsatisfied and I feel that with a few more twists and turns it could have been quite good.
My rating: 2.75 stars
Thanks to Regan Arts via NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
www.litwitwineanddine.com
March 8, 2016
1979, a mysterious and charismatic man, four impressionable teenagers
What could possibly go wrong?
Quite a lot actually! I don’t have words to describe how good this book is so I am not going to try.
The “Singing Bone”, is from a folktale which Professor Alice Wood is researching in 1999; but once she was seventeen and her name was Alice Pearson. That was in 1979 when she and her friends, Molly, Stover and Trina met Jack Wyck………
READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pashtpaws
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
What could possibly go wrong?
Quite a lot actually! I don’t have words to describe how good this book is so I am not going to try.
The “Singing Bone”, is from a folktale which Professor Alice Wood is researching in 1999; but once she was seventeen and her name was Alice Pearson. That was in 1979 when she and her friends, Molly, Stover and Trina met Jack Wyck………
READ IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pashtpaws
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
January 25, 2016
I requested to read "The Singing Bones", by Beth Hahn, months ago...
Another book 'cover' ( which I loved), is what first caught my attention. Where did it go??? It was AWESOME!!! This book cover looks more generic.
The description sounded exciting- suspenseful - and uniquely fresh. The title of this novel had me very intrigued also.
Even though it took me awhile to finally read this novel ( having 20 + others to read with archive due dates)...
I was so excited when I sat down to begin "The Singing Bone". I had a gut -hunch from the start, that this was going to be terrific.
And then...
I was so darn confused in the beginning...(I wanted to put the book down-play on Goodreads and grab an apple). The story pick up, no longer confusing, but my enthusiasm dropped a notch.
At one point Alice dreamed of singing on the streets in California...( she wouldn't have to endure another cold New York winter). Alice is dreaming to 'dress like a hippie'.
Her friend Tina is dreaming to get 'fucked up' and listen to Pink Floyd.
Oh boy...I began to ask myself..."I'm reading this book, why?"
I never was interested in rebelling against my parents....(with a dad who had already died by the age of 4 and a mother working full time),.....living in a small white-wall- apt., I dreamed for a 'family' experience and all that went with it. I wanted all those things I saw people rejecting. I grew up in Berkeley, California ...so it wasn't as if I wasn't surrounded by street people, drugs which I never did, and flower power-beauties catching rides to the Monterey jazz festivals. ( ok, I went to the music festival one year myself)....but I didn't dream of being a hippie. I wouldn't have known how to do it anyway. ( I might be better at it today).....*kidding*!
So... About THIS story: The teens in this story were everything I wasn't...yet, still familiar. Impressive teens in 'aw' of danger... which is perfect because Mr. Dangerous
has these kids under his spell. ( think Charles Manson).
Of course things go wrong...( we know it's coming)... Hell, it was wrong from the start. ....a crime is involved.
The leading female- Alice...grows up ...( her past a secret)...but after years of silence ...
things get expressed. ( mystery & remorse)
Thank You Regan Arts, Netgalley, Beth Hahn.
Another book 'cover' ( which I loved), is what first caught my attention. Where did it go??? It was AWESOME!!! This book cover looks more generic.
The description sounded exciting- suspenseful - and uniquely fresh. The title of this novel had me very intrigued also.
Even though it took me awhile to finally read this novel ( having 20 + others to read with archive due dates)...
I was so excited when I sat down to begin "The Singing Bone". I had a gut -hunch from the start, that this was going to be terrific.
And then...
I was so darn confused in the beginning...(I wanted to put the book down-play on Goodreads and grab an apple). The story pick up, no longer confusing, but my enthusiasm dropped a notch.
At one point Alice dreamed of singing on the streets in California...( she wouldn't have to endure another cold New York winter). Alice is dreaming to 'dress like a hippie'.
Her friend Tina is dreaming to get 'fucked up' and listen to Pink Floyd.
Oh boy...I began to ask myself..."I'm reading this book, why?"
I never was interested in rebelling against my parents....(with a dad who had already died by the age of 4 and a mother working full time),.....living in a small white-wall- apt., I dreamed for a 'family' experience and all that went with it. I wanted all those things I saw people rejecting. I grew up in Berkeley, California ...so it wasn't as if I wasn't surrounded by street people, drugs which I never did, and flower power-beauties catching rides to the Monterey jazz festivals. ( ok, I went to the music festival one year myself)....but I didn't dream of being a hippie. I wouldn't have known how to do it anyway. ( I might be better at it today).....*kidding*!
So... About THIS story: The teens in this story were everything I wasn't...yet, still familiar. Impressive teens in 'aw' of danger... which is perfect because Mr. Dangerous
has these kids under his spell. ( think Charles Manson).
Of course things go wrong...( we know it's coming)... Hell, it was wrong from the start. ....a crime is involved.
The leading female- Alice...grows up ...( her past a secret)...but after years of silence ...
things get expressed. ( mystery & remorse)
Thank You Regan Arts, Netgalley, Beth Hahn.
June 3, 2016
I almost gave up on this book because I found it very slow and confusing to start. But then the creepiness factor kicks in and you have a solid cult story. I expected more of a thriller with this book and while there are some mysteries, I wouldn't classify it that way. I liked how the story shifted back and forth in time. What I felt was lacking was some character development and motivation. I still have a lot of unanswered questions and felt some parts of the story were unnecessary. But the writing flowed and the backstory of life in this cult made me think a lot about how Manson and his followers would be. Thanks to Goodreads and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 2, 2018
I initially gave this 4 stars because it started off pretty slow, but I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I finished reading it so had to bump it up to 5. For me, The Singing Bone did everything right that The Girls missed the mark on - such an incredible, haunting read.
October 4, 2016
4.5 stars. Draw your own conclusions as to why, at this particular point in history, I'm drawn to stories about charismatic sociopaths who attract the weak and vulnerable and lead them to tragedy and ruin, but here we are. I've read a couple lately and comparisons are inevitable. The Singing Bone delivered in places where The Girls fell slightly short, for me: tension-building, mystery, and a visceral view of the characters' unraveling that made the horror simultaneously chilling, tragic, and comprehensible. The writing is elegant and the story layered with elements of folklore and legends.
The biggest surprise came on the acknowledgments page, when I discovered the author is the daughter of the Queen of kidlit horror, Mary Downing Hahn. Well. The apple sure doesn't fall far from the spooky old tree. I can only imagine the bedtime stories she was told growing up, and I hope more delightfully twisted tales crawl out of her imagination and onto the page.
The biggest surprise came on the acknowledgments page, when I discovered the author is the daughter of the Queen of kidlit horror, Mary Downing Hahn. Well. The apple sure doesn't fall far from the spooky old tree. I can only imagine the bedtime stories she was told growing up, and I hope more delightfully twisted tales crawl out of her imagination and onto the page.
February 11, 2016
I really can't anymore with the Charles-Manson-look-alike kind of book and this one failed to engage me. It's not that it's a bad book (although I didn't find it especially interesting) but it's a story that's been told so many times--and even happened in real life--that it would have to be exceptionally done to grab my attention.
I see that most people are praising The Singing Bone, so I'm absolutely in the minority here. I'd say it probably wasn't the novel's fault, just a mismatch between this particular reader and this book.
I'd like to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel for review purposes. This fact did not affect my opinion in any way.
I see that most people are praising The Singing Bone, so I'm absolutely in the minority here. I'd say it probably wasn't the novel's fault, just a mismatch between this particular reader and this book.
I'd like to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel for review purposes. This fact did not affect my opinion in any way.
March 12, 2016
This is the best meditation on violence and the susceptibility of youth that I've read in ten years. Beth Hahn is extraordinarily talented, and the protagonist, Alice, is a living person. I read this book twice, only because I couldn't believe I didn't have another Beth Hahn book to plunge into and love.
October 3, 2016
It surprisingly pulls you in, even though you don't really want to know what happened. Knowing that stuff like this has happened makes it more believable, otherwise you would not believe how stupid these kids are...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2018
The Singing Bone skirts the line between literary fiction and thriller. If you read or were drawn to Emma Cline's The Girls but you wanted more (plot, action, character, third person narration) then this might be more your cup of tea. Hahn takes on the Manson story (parable? cautionary tale?) and grafts it on to the late 70s, switches coast lines, replaces the dessert ranch with a lush forest, takes out the celebrity infatuation and offers much more insight into the psychology of the women who fall for a dangerous conman. I imagine Cline's press sucked up all the air around stories about Manson-esque cults because I can't recall reading or hearing anything about this novel and indeed only discovered it via a search for "cults" on Hoopla. The Girls was more intimate and in the end had very little to do with cults or mind control. Hahn's Manson experiment is much more direct.
September 24, 2016
Let me start by saying that I don't think this will be a five-star read for everyone, and that I wouldn't unreservedly recommend it- but it really tickled my particular fancy. It's the last(?) in a string of books I've recently read that explore how an antisocial or disturbed influence at the wrong time can under the right circumstances produce chaos and violence, and how ripe the teenage female psyche is to be both prey, and predator. By the final third of this book, I felt so attached to the characters that at times I was truly scared to read on, knowing that the core four teenagers, who have known each other since infancy and love each other in a heartbreakingly ordinary, realistic way, would all meet isolated tragic ends (for half the group: death, and the other half: ruined adulthood). The lived-in quality of their bonds to each other, which slowly and devastatingly erode over the course of this strangely impactful novel, will stick with me for a long time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2016
This must be the year of the cult, and this is another Manson-esque story with a charismatic cult leader seducing a harem with promises of good times. Alice Pearson joins but later testifies against Jack Wyck. Now he's about to be released from jail, and if he doesn't kill her, her reputation as an esteemed professor of folklore may be destroyed the documentary film being made about Wyck as her past will also be uncovered. Lots of tension here, and a disturbing, chilling, menacing tone; the pacing makes compelling reading, as time lines move restlessly between 1979 and 1999; well-drawn and flawed characters; complex story line with narrative moving back and forth, also issues of guilt and morality; framed by cult life and Grimm fairy tale reimagining; nonlinear and literary. Satisfying psychological suspense for more literary fans.
October 22, 2015
Received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I had a tough time starting this book - I think I was 25% through before I realized I was finding ways to read when I should have been doing other things. I was staying up too late, wanting to know what would happen. An excellent book - it is subtly written, and sneaks up on you, but it will completely hook you in. Well done, Beth Hahn.
I had a tough time starting this book - I think I was 25% through before I realized I was finding ways to read when I should have been doing other things. I was staying up too late, wanting to know what would happen. An excellent book - it is subtly written, and sneaks up on you, but it will completely hook you in. Well done, Beth Hahn.
June 10, 2016
so good
January 26, 2019
I really wanted to like this. The stuff about the folk tale was great, particularly all the different versions she kept finding and how that tied in with the story of her past – genius, wish I'd thought of it. The prose is good too, not obnoxiously literary or too simplistic, but right in the middle.
I think the problem is that I'm just not interested in cults, and I'm particularly not interested in Charles Manson. I seem to be the only one, as it seems like most books/films about the Manson family do well in the US. I don't get it – like most people I've read Helter Skelter, and that filled any need I had to know about Manson. He's just not very interesting, and neither are cults in general to me. If it hadn't focused so heavily on the 60s/70s cult experience, the tedious back-and-forth conversations between a bunch of idiots on drugs, the power play of this mediocre cult-leader – if it was mostly focused on the protagonist's research into folk tales and the variety of stories, I'd have been into it.
Still, can't be annoyed that a book isn't what I want it to be.
I think the problem is that I'm just not interested in cults, and I'm particularly not interested in Charles Manson. I seem to be the only one, as it seems like most books/films about the Manson family do well in the US. I don't get it – like most people I've read Helter Skelter, and that filled any need I had to know about Manson. He's just not very interesting, and neither are cults in general to me. If it hadn't focused so heavily on the 60s/70s cult experience, the tedious back-and-forth conversations between a bunch of idiots on drugs, the power play of this mediocre cult-leader – if it was mostly focused on the protagonist's research into folk tales and the variety of stories, I'd have been into it.
Still, can't be annoyed that a book isn't what I want it to be.
September 14, 2019
Wow..... what a book. It was deeply unsettling and hard to read at points but it was very well written and just a really incredible story wow. I definitely recommend even though it is a pretty upsetting story.
April 15, 2018
Riveting
This was a confusing story to start but was very hard to put down lots of twists and turns lots of feelings for those kids. Makes you think a lot and for someone with children scary as hell. Wished the ending was different but all good.
This was a confusing story to start but was very hard to put down lots of twists and turns lots of feelings for those kids. Makes you think a lot and for someone with children scary as hell. Wished the ending was different but all good.
March 12, 2019
A non-linear account of a survivor of an upstate-New York Manson style cult. Like a better version of "the Girls."
February 24, 2019
A riveting story of four teens told in two time periods: 1979 and 1999, who are drawn into the dark orbit of a charismatic predator. As described on the jacket, it is a sophisticated psychological tale of suspense. I have a new appreciation for how naive people are ensnared in toxic situations.
February 4, 2017
The Singing Bone is hard to put down. It begins with Hans, a controversial documentary filmmaker, who receives a package from a mysterious, legendary inmate, serving a sentence of 25 years to life: Jack Wyck. Hans’s previous film exposed cults and cult leaders and provoked a deadly violent episode at its inaugural screening, and Hans begins to research Jack Wyck’s story with great trepidation. When Hans contacts Alice, a professor of folklore, he unleashes ghosts that Alice has kept at bay for decades.
As a teenager, Alice became entranced by the charismatic figure of Jack Wyck. At the time, Alice was inseparable from her friends, each finding refuge from dysfunctional homes, through their friendship with each other, except for Molly, whose parents and whose younger brother, Stuart, adored her and worried about her, and who is ultimately brutally punished for this. Jack Wyck usurped the love these friends had for each other, manipulated it, used it and abused it. In his words: “When you put a collar on an animal, you can’t just walk up to it the first time you see it and put a collar on it. The animal has to trust you first. It has to know it is your friend. And you approach from the side, not straight on. There has to be a relationship. You should never use sheer force. By the time it happens, it’s almost a celebration. It’s a shared trust. It’s a bond—not servitude.”
Now, with new evidence, Jack Wyck may be freed from jail, and it is Alice he blames for his imprisonment. Beth Hahn deftly weaves past and present with multiple points of view, as the truth eludes everyone who searches for it, or declares ownership of it. Hans’s story, his filmmaking process, ideas about narrative, and his observations of events and people, becomes almost a stand-in for the writer and the reader, seeking truth and coherence. Stuart, whose integrity and compassion hold the narrative together, provides this coherence, honoring his (and by extension, the reader’s) memories and refusing to succumb to hatred.
As a teenager, Alice became entranced by the charismatic figure of Jack Wyck. At the time, Alice was inseparable from her friends, each finding refuge from dysfunctional homes, through their friendship with each other, except for Molly, whose parents and whose younger brother, Stuart, adored her and worried about her, and who is ultimately brutally punished for this. Jack Wyck usurped the love these friends had for each other, manipulated it, used it and abused it. In his words: “When you put a collar on an animal, you can’t just walk up to it the first time you see it and put a collar on it. The animal has to trust you first. It has to know it is your friend. And you approach from the side, not straight on. There has to be a relationship. You should never use sheer force. By the time it happens, it’s almost a celebration. It’s a shared trust. It’s a bond—not servitude.”
Now, with new evidence, Jack Wyck may be freed from jail, and it is Alice he blames for his imprisonment. Beth Hahn deftly weaves past and present with multiple points of view, as the truth eludes everyone who searches for it, or declares ownership of it. Hans’s story, his filmmaking process, ideas about narrative, and his observations of events and people, becomes almost a stand-in for the writer and the reader, seeking truth and coherence. Stuart, whose integrity and compassion hold the narrative together, provides this coherence, honoring his (and by extension, the reader’s) memories and refusing to succumb to hatred.
October 16, 2015
"He uses people up until there's nothing left."
What I enjoyed most about this book is the exploration of the slow easy seduction a cult-like leader makes. Naturally, the mind wanders to memories of criminal Charles Manson and his own little 'family'- that had to be said. 17 teen year old Alice is the 'intelligent one' among her friends, earning her the nickname Genie from the magnetic conman Jack Wyck. It isn't long before she is just as mesmerized by the mysterious man as her friends are. With a back and forth between past and present we know a horrific crime has taken place and that Wyck is prison for it many years later. But what we don't know is just how involved Alice and her friends were. Set at the tail end of the 70's, it is still an experimental time for drugs and fading hippy ideas of love and community. What's mine is mine you yours and his... and his...and his... Spending days of lazing about and pondering the deeper things in life, casting away their parent's ways of seeing the world, loving each other in all ways physical and open becomes nightmarish as things turn dark and downright evil. The reader knows Alice is the traitor that helped lock Jack away, and now someone is looking to tell his side of the story.
Step into the future and Alice has made a life for herself, as a professor of folklore- no one knows about her tie to the long ago crime. The story of the Twa Sisters has become a meaningful tale to her in her folklore studies, but why? Who is the killer of the tale, what does it all mean and why is this story so deeply rooted in the crime?
This story is twisted and the mystical web Wyck spins to justify his way of seeing the world and the things he does will trap Alice and her friends forever. No one will be left unscathed by their encounter with Jack. But just who is the real criminal here?
What I enjoyed most about this book is the exploration of the slow easy seduction a cult-like leader makes. Naturally, the mind wanders to memories of criminal Charles Manson and his own little 'family'- that had to be said. 17 teen year old Alice is the 'intelligent one' among her friends, earning her the nickname Genie from the magnetic conman Jack Wyck. It isn't long before she is just as mesmerized by the mysterious man as her friends are. With a back and forth between past and present we know a horrific crime has taken place and that Wyck is prison for it many years later. But what we don't know is just how involved Alice and her friends were. Set at the tail end of the 70's, it is still an experimental time for drugs and fading hippy ideas of love and community. What's mine is mine you yours and his... and his...and his... Spending days of lazing about and pondering the deeper things in life, casting away their parent's ways of seeing the world, loving each other in all ways physical and open becomes nightmarish as things turn dark and downright evil. The reader knows Alice is the traitor that helped lock Jack away, and now someone is looking to tell his side of the story.
Step into the future and Alice has made a life for herself, as a professor of folklore- no one knows about her tie to the long ago crime. The story of the Twa Sisters has become a meaningful tale to her in her folklore studies, but why? Who is the killer of the tale, what does it all mean and why is this story so deeply rooted in the crime?
This story is twisted and the mystical web Wyck spins to justify his way of seeing the world and the things he does will trap Alice and her friends forever. No one will be left unscathed by their encounter with Jack. But just who is the real criminal here?
June 18, 2016
This was a dark and suspenseful read. The story is told very slow, you get to know all the characters and the author also gives us some time to understand how and why these four bright young people fell for Jack Wyck. It’s still hard to understand but I almost got it. It’s also a book about friendship and guilt and forgiveness.
Alice, Molly, Trina and Stover are close friends since they very kids. Trina somehow comes along with a new boyfriend, Lee, and Jack and Allegra, two adults. Jack is almost twice their age. It’ 1979 and Jack and Allegra seems so different to the average people in their small home town. With the help of drugs, alcohol and sex they caught their interest and soon the four move into his filthy house in the woods, were they pretend to be a “family”. Jack is charismatic and offers a strange philosophy. But it all ended in a nightmare.
The story springs back and forth between 1979 and 1999. Alice is now a professor of folklore. Hans, a documentary film maker wants to make a film about Jack Wyck, who is still in prison. Hans contacts Alice, and soon she has to make up with her past and her part in the murders that happened.
The book takes its time. The story develops slowly. Little by little you learn what happened, who was killed and who did it. It’s a very dark and complex story. It’s frightening and also, at the end, hopeful.
I enjoyed this book, Maybe it was a bit too slow and too long. But I admire the great story, it’s development. I am glad I got a chance to read this exceptional book..
I want to thank Netgalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for a honest review
Alice, Molly, Trina and Stover are close friends since they very kids. Trina somehow comes along with a new boyfriend, Lee, and Jack and Allegra, two adults. Jack is almost twice their age. It’ 1979 and Jack and Allegra seems so different to the average people in their small home town. With the help of drugs, alcohol and sex they caught their interest and soon the four move into his filthy house in the woods, were they pretend to be a “family”. Jack is charismatic and offers a strange philosophy. But it all ended in a nightmare.
The story springs back and forth between 1979 and 1999. Alice is now a professor of folklore. Hans, a documentary film maker wants to make a film about Jack Wyck, who is still in prison. Hans contacts Alice, and soon she has to make up with her past and her part in the murders that happened.
The book takes its time. The story develops slowly. Little by little you learn what happened, who was killed and who did it. It’s a very dark and complex story. It’s frightening and also, at the end, hopeful.
I enjoyed this book, Maybe it was a bit too slow and too long. But I admire the great story, it’s development. I am glad I got a chance to read this exceptional book..
I want to thank Netgalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for a honest review
May 30, 2016
I feel like I've heard this story before- oh wait, I have! Has anyone seen The Following with Kevin Bacon? Well let me tell ya, if you like this book, you'll love that show. Have you ever read anything about Charles Manson or any other cult novel? This book is no different. Now don't get me wrong- I love a good cult story, but something has to really stand out or be outrageously different from all the others for me to LOVE it. The folklore theme was something I was really interested in reading about, but the author didn't delve much into it. This was my second attempt at reading a 2016 published novel by a new author. So far, Girl Through Glass takes the cake.
If you have any cult suggestions, please send them my way! :)
If you have any cult suggestions, please send them my way! :)
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