Bone Talk

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But when the rhythm came to me, it was smooth sailing from there. I started reading it one chapter a day for like 2 days, then decided to read about 3 chapters each day, so that I could burn through at least as close to how long a chapter was in Frankenstein. Just so that it felt like I had immersed myself into the book in the same fashion as to how I immersed myself in the previous one. So that it feels like I'm not stretching this book out by reading it so slowly like that. Do I make sense? It makes sense to me, that logic. I dunno if it would make sense to other people. Anyway... Marion Rose, Historical Novel Society. Wonderful and unusual ...Beautifully crafted, this story draws on different spheres – political, social, spiritual and emotional – in the way of a true classic. A truly brilliant read for boys and girls of 10+. You often tell your stories through the use of dual narratives. Why is this? When writing dual narratives, do you write the stories alongside each other, at the same time, or write one at a time? What does the planning process look like? Jayne Gould, Armadillo. Candy Gourlay wanted to write a story set in her homeland, the story she would haveliked to have been able to read as a child, reflecting its history and culture. She hascertainly achieved her aim, creating this tour de force, a compelling, absorbing tale,which seeks to open minds, ask important questions and bring the diversity of theworld to readers - all things books should do.

Kate Ashton, Suffolk Libraries. I really enjoyed this book. The tale is gripping and the theme is universal: what willyou do when change and responsibility is thrust upon you? Candy Gourlay’s evocativedescriptions of the landscape and atmosphere make you feel as if you are there,walking the paths behind Samkad and Luki. Candy Gourlay once again dazzled me with her humor, wit and storytelling. I literally laughed out loud at one point when she started a chapter with this line, ...no talk of my manhood, after a series of action filled narratives. This is Samkad speaking and there I find the typical teenager. Irrational. Emotional. Impulsive. Self centered. I remember myself at twelve years old during the height of the People Power Revolution. I worried about my grade school graduation. Never mind if tanks and soldiers were moving and marching on EDSA. I need to graduate by March! I adored the relationship Samkad had with his father, his best friend and the elders of the community. While they didn't always get along, the belief the community had didn't allow for lies or treachery, even stubbornness seemed to melt away if the village's safety was called into question. It begs the question why our current behaviour towards each other is every man for himself, when for thousands of years the community spirit held everyone together. It was a beautiful thing.The story itself it set in three parts and follows the story of Samkad, a boy on the cusp of being initiated into manhood. The rite of passage ceremony though is brought to a halt when the old ones set a task that, ultimately, sets in motion events that change the tribe's future for all time. Together with Luki, a ferociously-willed young girl, his father and others (not wanting to give the plot away), Samkad finds his whole world changed and challenged forever. Will he have the strength and courage within to save his people and what will his people and their culture mean to him when he encounters others?

What an amazing book. It took six years to write and now it is out in the world - the uncovering of a buried past that will touch the lives of all of us, but be particularly poignant to those from a heritage of colonialism. Terry Hong,Shelf Awareness/Smithsonian Book Dragon. A Filipino boy on the verge of manhood in 1899 must face mortal enemies, colonial brutality and his own headstrong, immature self to help save his remote village from annihilation. The book gave me a variety of emotions to ponder on. Some, even extreme emotions of wishing death. Lols I think it goes with the age and my angst with the kupal na Amerikano sa mundong ibabaw. Candy Gourlay tells this brilliant adventure story from the point of view of a young Filipino boy from a time and place that most readers will know nothing about– and certainly from a previously unheard voice (most of what is written about the time is by Americans writing as tourists, anthropologists and conquerors).Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books. I loved this book in so many ways. It's diverse, very challenging and really made me think. I feel as if I have lived every moment of the story ... This is a great young-adult read that strikes away from the norm. It certainly shook me from my reading perch as it was enjoyable on so many levels. Read the review