The Bone People – Keri Hulme

READ FOR BOOKCLUB

Chosen by Suzy

Joe Gillayley is a widower who maintains a love-hate relationship with his mute, adoptive son, Simon. Both male characters are prone to violence. Kerewin is a reclusive painter who comes into their lives. Set on NZ’s West Coast, this is an unusual love story depicting a utopian unity between Maori and Western culture. Keri Hulme (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe) was the first woman of colour to win the Booker Prize.

A family can be the bane of one’s existence. A family can also be most of the meaning of one’s existence. I don’t know whether my family is bane or meaning, but they have surely gone away and left a large hole in my heart.

⚈ “I felt uncomfortable for most of the time I was reading The Bone People. A lot of the content is grim – chick-lit it ain’t.  A stunning read though. And winning the 1985 Booker Prize is way more significant and exciting than the 1987 Rugby World Cup, okay?!” – Suzy

⚈ “The Bone People really got under my skin. Although it was disturbing, I felt a strange connection to this book that just wouldn’t leave me.” – Nadine

⚈ “The beautiful NZ coastlines, Maori myth and legend and the startling storyline are captivating in The Bone People, and so well done it was as if I was standing on a desolate West Coast beach as I reading. A desperately moving story that captures not only what it means to be Maori but what it means to be Maori in changing times. Its use of faith and fables as a foundation for the modern story gave the story a solidity and strength which I imagine gave this very NZ tale its universal appeal. I also enjoyed hearing about the author and the story behind the story, which made the final result more of a masterpiece in my eyes.” – Rachel

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Published 1985
Penguin Books
450 pages