Bone Gap by Laura Ruby. Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins, 2015

Teenage Finn is the only person in Bone Gap who believes Roza, a young woman relatively new to town, was abducted. Finn is sure Roza was a prisoner in the car he saw her riding in, but he can’t describe the driver. Everyone else thinks he made up the story and was in love with Roza. In truth, Finn’s older brother Sean is the one in love with Roza, and Finn feels increasingly frustrated by Sean’s distant behavior and seeming lack of concern: Sean clearly assumes Roza left Bone Gap—and him—of her own accord. When the point of view of this exquisitely written novel switches to Roza, who is, indeed, being held prisoner, the story takes on the overtones of a thriller, one that slips into the realm of magical realism as Roza’s storyline develops. Defying all boundaries, Laura Ruby moves assuredly back and forth between small town life in Bone Gap, where Finn is marked by loss that precedes the present events and finds unexpected friendship and solace in a developing relationship with classmate Petey, and Roza’s ever-more-complex history and situation. Roza is strikingly beautiful. Petey is often seen as remarkable for her lack of beauty. Neither woman can be defined by her appearance—one of the story’s many points. Themes of small town life, family, loss, love, evil, beauty, sexuality, power and its abuse all resound in a story that can be read, among many ways, as a feminist fairy tale. (MS) ©2015 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Start some conversation with these discussion prompts:

1. What is the connection between the characters’ emotions and the magical events in the story?
2. Discuss the difference between Finn’s and Sean’s reactions to Roza’s disappearance.
3. Is beauty always a good thing? How does Finn’s condition affect his ability to find beauty?
4. What parallels can you find between Roza and Persephone from the Greek myth?

Find teaching guides and other resources for Bone Gap at TeachingBooks.net and book discussion guide from Balzer + Bray.

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