Bones & All

by Camille DeAngelis

Maren Yearly is a young woman who wants the same things we all do. She wants to be someone people admire and respect. She wants to be loved. But her secret, shameful needs have forced her into exile. She hates herself for the bad thing she does, for what it's done to her family and her sense of identity; for how it dictates her place in the world and how people see her-how they judge her. She didn't choose to be this way. Because Maren Yearly doesn't just break hearts, she devours them. Ever since her mother found Penny Wilson's eardrum in her mouth when Maren was just two years old, she knew life would never be normal for either of them. Love may come in many shapes and sizes, but for Maren, it always ends the same-with her hiding the evidence and her mother packing up the car. But when her mother abandons her the day after her sixteenth birthday, Maren goes looking for the father she has never known, and finds much more than she bargained for along the way. Faced with a world of fellow eaters, potential enemies, and the prospect of love, Maren realizes she isn't only looking for her father, she's looking for herself.
Camille DeAngelis has written an astonishingly original coming-of-age tale that is at once a gorgeously written horror story as well as a mesmerising meditation on female power and sexuality.

• ISBN10: 1250046521
• ISBN13: 9781250046529
• Publish Date: 22 March 2016 (first published 10 March 2015)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 12 June 2017
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Saint Martin's Griffin,U.S.
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[violetpeanut]

This book is the darkly creepy coming-of-age tale of Maren, a sixteen year old girl who literally eats anyone who shows her any affection. Maren's first victim, her babysitter, comes when she is only a baby. Her other victims are all boys who show an interest in her as she grows older - a boy from camp, the son of her mother's boss, etc. These boys are presumed missing and Maren's mother quickly packs them up and moves them away before the truth is realized. After years of moving, Maren's guilt-stricken mother abandons her on her 16th birthday. Maren embarks on a journey to find the father she's never known and meets others with her odd proclivities along the way. This is an entertaining, though disturbing, read. I was pulled in right away and read it quickly. I wanted to know where Maren would end up, if she would overcome her compulsion to eat people, what kind of relationships she would be able to build.

Maren is really struggling to find herself. How can she be a good person when she does such horrible things? How can she learn to live with herself? Can she ever have long-lasting, meaningful relationships with people? Can she accept love and affection from someone without ruining it? I love that Maren is such a sweet and good character even though she does these horrible things.

The plot was entertaining and the characters each original and interesting. There are no stereotypes here. All are flawed and just trying to make their way in the world - some with more decency than others. The ending resolves all of the major plot points but still leaves Maren's story open enough for the reader to speculate, or for the author to write a sequel.

This book can be read on multiple levels. I think many readers will enjoy this solely for its creep factor and because it's such an original idea. This book will also appeal to the thinking reader. By that I mean the reader who is looking for more than just entertainment. There are lots of discussion topics here: the loneliness of adolescence, losing yourself to love, the roles our biology and genes play in who we are, the ethics of eating flesh. This would be a fantastic book for group discussions.

Overall this book is strange and disturbing, entertaining but also thought provoking and relatable. It will appeal to those looking for something new in the horror genre while also appealing to those looking for deeper discussions. I would recommend to anyone looking for something different.


Note: I am a part of the Bones & All Street Team and I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.