Member Review

Bone Rites is a beautiful novel, one that utilises its main character to delve into the many complexities and realities that come with being many things: a sibling, a survivor of war, a queer person, a women in a male-dominated profession. These four aspects are tied together with a bit of magical realism and a vivid historical setting to weave a tale that spans years and countries but never bores.

I don’t want to give away too much of the plot for fear of spoilers - I think this book’s best gone into with minimal idea of how the story unfolds — but I will say that it knocked my socks off. The non-linear narrative works perfectly, building suspense and intrigue at a pace that’s not too fast or slow. The plot twists, while they were foreshadowed — I didn’t see any of them coming. The pacing somehow manages to be consistent despite a plot that varies in intensity — which is quite admirable. I think. And the plot — it has all these interesting themes woven in, like ‘Dulce et decorum est’ and women doctors during a time when they weren’t commonplace at all and the queer landscape of historical times and social injustice and the injustices of the justice system. And yet, this isn’t a novel bogged down by themes — the ‘heist’ aspects of it, the murders and tension, are only improved by our main character and the themes she embodies.

Bayley has a gift for crafting character and relationships, that much is obvious, and goes even beyond that — showing deftly how sweet relationships can quickly turn sour. Kathryn’s relationship with Freddie, her brother, was very reminiscent of my relationship with my own brother when he was younger, despite the historical setting of this novel. Jessica was so, so interesting to me, and probably my only nitpicky complaint about this book is that I wish we’d gotten a bit more of her — we only ever see her through Kathryn’s eyes, and never really get a sense of her own heart, I think. But I don’t think she was meant to feature that much, as her character does fulfill her required role in the narrative, so maybe that’s just a me problem. Kathryn’s friendships were also really unexpectedly sweet? Like, she often seems genuinely surprised when people care for her but she enjoys caring for them too, and that was really heartwarming to see. I think the author gave a really touching glimpse at intergenerational friendships even though those weren’t the focus of the story.

And, oh, characterisation and characters! Here is what sold my soul to Bone Rites: Kathryn herself. She’s incredibly nuanced and delightful- snarky, compassionate, morally grey, loyal and also questioning, daring and intelligent. This novel is told mostly through her and her relationship with one other character. Both of these maintain constant characterisation for characters who change a great deal through the course of the novel — not an easy feat! Kathryn is also… just so fierce and I wanted to root for her even as her morals began to delve more and more into the grey area.

The historical setting was beautiful, or horrifying, as need be, and extensively researched. I found myself screenshotting certain words or phrases for my own research. These details don’t bog down the story, but rather add to it, giving Kathryn and her story more depth and nuance than simply her narration does.

A well-crafted story of what it means to be human, Bone Rites is one of my favourite novels I’ve read this year. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys morally grey heroines, historical fiction, or ‘dark’ fiction of any kind.