The Bone People in Kiwi Readers

Mar 22, 2010 Alex rated it did not like it

Shelves: new-zealand

BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!

I was really excited to get to read this book because:

- It seems to be New Zealand's most famous book.
- It uses the West Coast as it's location.
- And it has a high goodreads rating of 4.10.

Well apart from a mini maori dictionary in the back of the book, I just couldn't get into it and put it down and reopened it many a times. I struggled my way to just over half way through before I gave up and read the whole plot story on Wikipedia. Saved myself a good 5+ hours! Thanks Wikipe ...more

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Jun 11, 2011 Angela rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: magical-realism, contemporary, new-zealand-or-new-zealand-author, feminist-or-womens-issues, favorites, cultural-identity, trigger-warning-abuse-violence, father-son, health-illness-healing, first-published-1980s

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. With all that's happened this year I haven't read as much for pleasure as I normally would, I find I am just not able to get into books the way I usually do, my mind being somewhat disorganised. So instead of embarking on books I haven't read, I have started rereading some of my favourites with the aim of trying to express what it is that I love so much about these books though I know my words won't do them justice.

There are many spoilers in this review so don't read further if you don't like sp With all that's happened this year I haven't read as much for pleasure as I normally would, I find I am just not able to get into books the way I usually do, my mind being somewhat disorganised. So instead of embarking on books I haven't read, I have started rereading some of my favourites with the aim of trying to express what it is that I love so much about these books though I know my words won't do them justice.

There are many spoilers in this review so don't read further if you don't like spoilers!!

What I admire most about The Bone People is its depth and beauty, thematically and language wise, and the depth and beauty of Kerewin and Simon as characters. I really like the way the alternative point of view narrative style allows us to enter their incredible minds, their thoughts, fears and dreams, so we get to know the complexity of these characters and their backgrounds and to recognise them as kindred souls who were meant to find each other.

The Bone People is wonderfully rich in symbolism, for example the Tower representing Kerewin as a lone, solitary figure, cut off from her roots, and the koru shaped home it is later replaced with, representing the unity and connectedness she craves. To me it is this need for unity and connectedness, and the side-by-side contrast and clash between an individualistic imperialist culture and a collectivist indigenous one that defines this story. Though I hope that Kerewin didn’t have to give up all her solitary time once she opened up her home and her heart to others, as her introversion also seemed to be an important and central part of her character!

I also love the magical realism (one of my favourite genres) combined with raw painful contemporary reality and the sensitive but brutally honest way that Hulme explored issues that are unfortunately as relevant today as they were forty years ago. Systemic racism and biased reporting have influenced public understanding of child abuse in New Zealand, and the extent of this is only now in the 2020s beginning to be truly, publicly acknowledged. Our child abuse statistics are abhorrent and while Maori are overrepresented in domestic abuse statistics (an issue arising largely from colonisation, systemic racism, and the resulting poverty and related issues like substance use), the abuse of NZ European children by their NZ European parents, though equally tragic and horrific, is often ignored by the media, skewing our view of reality. While I was aware of this, I was still surprised recently to learn the extent of it. The state solution of uplift is an extreme and targeted one, which while sometimes absolutely necessary for the welfare of the child, is all too often not the best or only solution. Our state care system has a terrible history of abuse, the true extent of which is only beginning to emerge and will likely never be fully known. (This is not to take anything away from those wonderful social workers and foster families who are thankfully the majority, not the minority, and who are an essential part of our society, doing their best every day to make a postive difference in the lives of the children under their care!)

In The Bone People, Joe had whanau who loved Simon and would have cared for him, instead Simon was sent to complete strangers who he had no connection with when he had already experienced so much upheaval in his life. Kerewin’s dilemma of whether to report the abuse or not is therefore a genuine dilemma because even though it is clear that Joe was not in a position to act as Simon's caregiver at that time, the child welfare system has failed many. That said, I am obviously in agreement that if you "see something you should say something" but understand why it isn't always viewed as a straightforward decision. I did not agree with the stance Kerewin took, and she herself came to regret this. Local authorities also knew of the struggle Joe was having raising Simon after his wife and child's deaths, so resources, support, and monitoring of the situation should have been provided then, before any abuse had a chance to escalate, but prevention does not appear to be where our government is interested in directing much of its funding. I have little empathy for the character of Joe because he could and should have found other ways to deal with his grief, anger and bitterness, and should’ve taken advantage of the family support that was available to him, but placing Simon with strangers was never going to be the solution, and nor was leaving him with Joe without appropriate preventative measures in place.

The Bone People is no light read, it is a painful but exceptional novel that deserves all praise heaped upon it. ...more

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Aug 12, 2010 Tara rated it did not like it · review of another edition

OHMIGOD!
Thta, was a Veryyy boring book, and quite frankly I would never force it upon anyone to read it. It's hard to read and the only GOOD parts were at the end! ...more

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