Everyone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps—gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren’t surprised. After all, it wasn’t the first time that someone had slipped away and left Finn and Sean O’Sullivan on their own. Just a few years before, their mother had high-tailed it to Oregon for a brand new guy, a brand new life. That’s just how things go, the people said. Who are you going to blame?
Finn knows that’s not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. But the searches turned up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. Not even Sean, who has more reason to find Roza than anyone, and every reason to blame Finn for letting her go.
There were a few points in this story where I said to myself, "Ugh! This is too much mythology inspiration for my liking." You see, I have an aversion to mythology. Ever since since I was in 6th grade and my English teacher made us learn about it through a series of horrifically boring worksheets, I cannot stomach even the slightest mythological reference. It is the literary equivalent to an allergic reaction.
When the story was more realism than magical, I enjoyed it a great deal. But those fantasy/mythology elements just didn't seem to click right for me in my addled, traumatized mind.
Still, even with my mythology aversion, I enjoyed Bone Gap more than I didn't. The writing is both simple and lyrical and I love that the ending was a win for feminism. It is also really difficult for me to connect with third person narration, but Laura Ruby expertly navigates that point-of-view to allow readers to connect with many of the characters you are meant to empathize with.
What made the story even more enjoyable for me was Dan Bittner's gentle yet haunting performance of the audiobook. I'm definitely a fan of his narration style.
Overall, Bone Gap was an enjoyable listening experience and lives up to the buzz it has been receiving among my book-loving friends. It's a quiet book that will likely have to be hand sold to just the right student, but I've already got a few students in my mind who I know would love it.
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
Audiobook Narrator: Dan Bittner
Published: March 3, 2015
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 373
Audiobook Length: 8 hours, 21 minutes
Genre: Magical Realism
Audience: Young Adult
Disclosure: Audiobook received for review from publisher
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