Bone by Bone by Sanjida Kay
Published: 3rd March 2016
Publisher: Corvus
Pages: 328
Available in Paperback and on Kindle
Blurb
Laura loves her daughter more than anything in the world.
But nine-year-old daughter Autumn is being bullied. Laura feels helpless.
When Autumn fails to return home from school one day, Laura goes looking for her. She finds a crowd of older children taunting her little girl.
In the heat of the moment, Laura makes a terrible choice. A choice that will have devastating consequences for her and her daughter...
Review
Bone by Bone by Sanjida Kay is a very intense and gripping
read looks at the effects of bullying which will leave you questioning your
every action and just how far you will go to protect your children.
Laura and her daughter Autumn have recently moved to Bristol
after Laura’s divorce. Laura is getting on with trying to build a new life for
herself and her daughter. Autumn however is struggling with her new school and
has become the target of bullying from an older boy. When Laura finds herself
face to face with her daughter’s bully she tries to help but in that split
second decision something goes very wrong, something which Laura knows is wrong
and something which will come back to haunt her and her daughter.
This book is written from both Laura and Autumn’s
perspectives and what really struck was how different actions were perceived between
mother and daughter. I was struck by how much Laura loves Autumn and how far
she will go to make her happy. However, Laura’s somewhat irrational decisions
don’t always work out in Autumn’s best interest as we can see from Autumn’s
narrative. I found this dual narrative
added to the intensity of the book as you can see Laura becomes lost with how
to help her daughter and poor little Autumn begins to dread life outside the
family home.
One thing this book highlights is just how disturbing and
intrusive cyber bullying can be and how defenceless it can make us feel. I
really felt for Laura as the bullying every aspect of her life and how helpless
she is left, as she has no clue how to regain control, it really was quite
scary to read.
I found Bone to Bone to be a disturbing but addictive read and
perhaps one I wouldn’t read if I knew I was alone in the house. All the way
through I found the intensity deepened and I couldn’t see how it was going to end
and when I did I was shocked. I didn’t expect it to end how it did and am a
little disappointed that everything was explained so simply. This doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the book, I
did very much, it’s probably one of the most intense books I’ve read and scary
because it could all so easily happen to anyone.
For a debut novel I think Sanjida Kay has written a novel
which explores the effects of bullying in an intense and disturbing way. It’s a
novel which will make you question just how much you can trust someone and just
far you’ll go to protect those you love.
Thank you so much to the publishers Corvus for the review
copy in exchange for my honest opinions. I’d like to rate Bone by Bone by Sanjida
Kay 4 out 5.
