Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

From the get-go you know this is going to be a different story with the first line of chapter 1: The corn was talking to him again. A mix of fairy tale, Greek myth, mystery, science and realism, Laura Ruby creates a tale of her own that doesn't quite adhere to any one genre. I'm not sure how my realistic, non-fantasy reading buddies would like it (Angela and Karen). It worked for me and reminded me a bit of a young adult version of "Breadcrumbs," by Anne Ursu. Layers of meaning are honeycombed throughout the plot making for discussions on abuse, bullies, definition of beauty, treatment of women, disabilities, parental absence, peer pressure, and more. The imagery, word choice, and symbolism found in the bees, names (or lack of), agrarian setting, and myths of past literature enrich the plot and make for a page-turner targeted toward middle school, high school, or adult readers. This goes on my burn-the-dinner list.

Eighteen-year-old Finn O'Sullivan doesn't look anyone in the eye, but the small town of Bone Gap accepts his idiosyncrasies until the day Roza disappears. As the only eye-witness, Finn watched her leave and is not sure if she went of her own free will or was kidnapped. Finn along with his older brother, Sean,  try to cope with two people abandoning them in their lives. Their mother had left them for an orthodontist a few years earlier spoiling Sean's plans to go to medical school and leaving Finn in his care. Finn can't describe the man Roza left with in great detail and blames himself for letting her go or not rescuing her.

The various points of view include Roza's story that takes a magical turn when her abductor does the impossible of creating alternate worlds and answering her any wish, (except the only one that matters which is to set her free). The author shrouds Roza in mystery slowly unveiling her past, providing good pacing and tension. When a magical black horse shows up and Finn takes interest in Petey, an unattractive peer, the mystery or myth starts to unfold and take shape drawing all the different elements and genres into a satisfying ending.

*spoiler* I'll try not to reveal too much of the plot.

Comparisons with the Greek myth of Persephone and Roza are obvious. Persephone represents the harvest and fertility of vegetation. Much imagery is devoted to Roza who can grow anything in the boy's garden, goes to school for botany, and whose plants wilt and die after she leaves. In the myth Persephone's beauty draws unwanted attention from other gods and when Hades kidnaps her she becomes Queen of the Underworld. Roza's preternatural  beauty causes her to be abducted by a man in a black SUV who gives her anything she wants but won't let her leave his domain; there is even a reference to pomegranates. Roza has had to deal with unwanted attention from men in the past and she reflects on it while imprisoned.

When a magical black horse shows up at Finns house, he and Petey take some midnight rides that don't seem quite real as the horse leaps distances that are impossible. I knew I was missing the significance of this reference and it wasn't until I read a Maile Meloy's New York Times article  did she remind me that Persephone's mother, Demeter, went in the form of a black horse. She's referring to the myth where Poseidon raped Demeter when she was searching for Persephone; they were in the form of horses and she became pregnant from the episode. The river in the book is surreal too and reminded me of the River Styx.

The subplot of Finn falling in love with Petey and the idea of beauty evolves throughout the story. Roza and Petey are judged by their appearances but the two do not let the world define them as such. Roza is competent and practical. She can stitch up a gash, grow enough food for the three, and jump out of a moving car to save herself from unwanted attentions. Petey, who is considered ugly, determines that she is interesting, even beautiful, inside. The way Petey reflects about this through the science of bees is fascinating and not overly technical.

Finn and Sean, as characters, must deal with male expectations. Sean is expected to be a conventional hero and save Roza, but he is broken and hurt inside from being abandoned by his mother. Finn, being good-looking and "pretty", is attracted to what society would label an unattractive girl. Both boys have to come to terms with societal versus individual expectations and find the courage to be true to themselves. The author's deft character development is one of many elements well done in this tale. Don't miss it.

5 Smileys

Paper Things by Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Eleven-year-old Ari moves out of Janna's house with her 19-year-old brother, Gage, who says he has a job and apartment. Janna is her guardian and argues with Gage. The two have lived together since Ari and Gage's mom passed away, but the two fight incessantly. Ari, loyal to family, follows Gage as he strikes out on his own. He says he has an apartment but when it is obvious he doesn't, Ari still follows him as they live homeless for  six weeks while he tries to find a job. The character arc and development carry a messy plot along in an engaging story that presents homelessness in a tamed down if somewhat inauthentic way. It makes the book appropriate for younger readers and deals with friendships and stigma that comes from being different.

While Ari is a well fleshed out character the relationships between Janna and Gage are somewhat fuzzy making Gage's decisions questionable and out-of-character at times. Ari is the star of the show and she shines as she tries to decide between living with her brother on the streets or being with Janna with a roof and stability. The author does a good job capturing middle school and how peers ostracize each other for clothes, hygiene, and looks. Ari has ratty shoes and greasy hair at times that makes her a target for bullying. The complication of Ari hiding her homelessness notched up the tension and kept me flipping the pages.

Ari and her brother hop from one friend's home to another sleeping anywhere. When they end up in a car one night and Ari's grades have been slipping she slowly begins to question if their choices have been the best or if her brother is just being stubborn. This part of the story was more authentic for me than the Reggie part. His homelessness and airplane business seem contrived to just move the plot forward. Also the relationship between Janna and Gage needed more development to give understanding as to why Gage would even take Ari from that situation. The explanation for Gage taking Ari was that their dying mother's last wish was that they always be together. This seemed weak as anyone with half a brain would know that a mother's last wish would not be to have her children sleeping out on the streets when they have a roof over their heads.

The ending is a bit pat. Kids will like it because everyone is happy but what bothered me was the quick resolution between Gage and Janna and Ari being empowered and reaffirmed by being in the media. I was pulled out of the narrative and felt like the author was teaching me a lesson. Not that it isn't a good lesson about acceptance and tolerance. All the same it made the plot less authentic. While I like the writing I think the story has too many miscues that keep it from being as strong as it could be.

3 Smileys