A poorly edited book can be the bane of one's reading existence. A tightly edited book can be the meaning...

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	• The Bone People: A Novel Keri Hulme Penguin (Non-Classics), 1986 - 464 pages average customer review:based on 152 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

a philosophical review

If you cannot see yourself in Joe, then you cannot see yourself at all. In real life, I would be fatally attracted to the specialness of Kerewin, her extraordinary intellect, artistry and talent and I would be flayed to one stage of egodeath by any involvement because I could not see herself in me. So easy to see ourselves in the bloody pulp of a child's heart and soo impossible to see that we are the Abuser and the Abusee. How-ever we get flayed to our bones, it does not matter and it is only the resistance that gets us flayed anyway. Were we to allow the flesh to drop away by itself and our bones to be bleached it would not ever hurt. But as it is, Pain is our dearest friend. Enough and we give it up and burn in the heart of the sun, and bleach and become hollow. In the hollowness of our bones lies the mythical new earth that we all long for. . . the Party where all are family and there is a sister, brother, cousin, grandmother, beloved child, daughter, son, aunt, uncle, father, mother, grandfather, lover, dear friend in every room. We can only feebly and imperfectly describe it as we reach for it, but we know it and we know God-hope we are to live it. One by one we burn our bridges behind us, collectively, until last of all, it is the only place left to go: Aikido's heart of God.

I came to "The Bone People" serendipitously this new year through a book my daughter-in-law sent me from Maine for Christmas, "Adventure Divas", in which the author/TV producer describes a narrow success in setting up an interview with her diva template NZ author.

Thank you, Keri Hulme for the return of your gift to Life via us.

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A poorly edited book can be the bane of one's reading existence. A tightly edited book can be the meaning of one's existence.

There's no questions that Keri Hulme's writing style is poetically masterful. There's also no doubt that The Bone People sheds interesting light on the Maori people and their traditions. Yet all the masterful word-weaving and cultural enlightenment in the world can't save a story that is so light-handedly edited that it loses its readers. Therein lies the problem with this novel. An ending that could have proven magical and unforgettable left me utterly puzzled and disappointed (even irritated) that I had put forth the concentrated effort it took to reach the final pages. Unfortunately, the plot enticements that go nowhere, which other reviewers have pointed out, glaring serve as yet another example of this book's flaws. My average rating is for a mixed bag of tricks, which is precisely what you'll get if you're patient enough to reach the epilogue of The Bone People.

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PERFECT

The Bone People is the most beautiful, intelligent, poetic, original, enthralling, mythic, enchanting book I have ever read. Rarely does the reader have the gift of epic and transformation given in our age, but Hulme has offered both. Her characters, story and theme are tangibly, at-your-fingertips real and enveloping. Through deep understanding, goose bumps, tears of joy and awe, I wound through this novel uplifted and overturned. Detailed, beautiful and feminine yet strong, wrenching and powerful, Hulme has crafted a journey into soul and spirit that few have the ability to articulate not-alone take you along with them. A shawoman and true artist, Hulme is unparalled in creating a human mirror, turning us inside out, helping us face the largess of our fallability and the divinity of our mortality. A rare and prolific work, Hulme's book is one of the few that simultaneously rips open, entrenches and enhances human consciousness. Choosing her own path outside of convention, Hulme delivers a story void of taboo or apology that forces the reader to question her/his ideas of right and wrong while indeed, as one reviewer previously posted, recreated people - the true saving grace of any culture or person in the face of complete destruction. Hulme also treated us to the beauty of native Maori language and glimpses of the depth, complexity and far-reaching impact of culture and family upon the individual. I will never forget this book or the unique brilliance and skill of Keri Hulme.

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reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

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