My rating: 3 of 5 stars
First, in the interest of honesty: it took me at least 100 pages, maybe 150, for this book to really grab me. Second: if I could rate it 3.5 stars, I would.
Initially, Bone Gap felt–to me–like a story that was trying too hard, with some rather over-worked small-town cliches and some rather unsubtle metaphors about what it means to be a woman objectified by men. But as the story progressed, I began to get it.
Just because you think you know how the story ends, doesn’t mean you’re right.
This is a story about perceptions. It’s about how you see the world and other people. It’s about how shocking it can be to realize that not everyone sees the world the way you do. It’s also about what it means to SEE another person for what they really are. It’s magical realism, my first taste of the genre, and I loved it.
The character that really hooked me here was Petey, a girl who keeps bees, who wears cut-off shorts and snarls at the world and isn’t as tough as she wants you to think. It’s a story you’ve heard before, but it’s well-told. Really, all the characters are good, though it takes a while for us to really see them–but then, maybe that’s the point. Maybe I just wasn’t looking closely enough, because I thought I knew how the story was going to end.
I wish I could explain more of the plot, but honestly, this is the sort of thing you just have to read for yourself.
Red Pen Gal - Developmental Editing 