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The Bone People

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The Bone People

By: Keri Hulme
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About this listen

 Available in audio for the first time is Aotearoa New Zealand's first Booker Prize-winning novel, The Bone People by Keri Hulme.

With narration and original taonga puoro music by Ruby Solly, this powerful and mesmerising book tracks the complicated relationships between three outcasts: Kerewin, an artist estranged from her family and art; a mute boy called Simon, who tries to steal from her; and his tender but brutal foster father Joe. Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Small Town & Rural
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A brilliant story narrated to perfection to allow a smooth flow of the story for the most part. It is quite graphic, and holds nothing back about the topic of violence, but also family and relationships. Some Maori words may be difficult to access for non Kiwis but still a great read.

Brilliant and brutal

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But the last 20% was not for me. Overall still worth it, but I had been hoping for a better ending

The first 80% was good

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Reading this book is like reading poetry, I love how words are used, how they sound. I struggled with some of the violence, however it was written without judgement and i had to read it without judgement. There were no clichés. I loved this book.

Brutal and beautiful

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It has been years since I read the book in hard copy. It is a powerful story, but may be a difficult listen for a non-New Zealand as it blends Maori language into the English. But it is a wonderfully woven story of the three main characters. Not for the faint hearted, it also addresses violence and trauma without sugar coating it.

Loved it!

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