Wow! This is a wonderful story full of mystery, magical whispering, gateways to other worlds and lessons on how we see (and don't always see) the beauty in ourselves and others. Full of charming, rich characters and wonderful atmosphere. ( )

Finn's been different all his life. He's been called Moonface, Sidetrack, Space Boy... but he's never felt so unwelcome in his small town as he has in the months since Roza left. Roza was his older brother Sean's girlfriend, and she disappeared one night. Finn saw her get into a car with a strange man, but he can't describe the man's face, and nobody seems to believe him -- not even Sean. Finn thinks Sean should try harder to look for Roza. As Finn pursues a romance with Petey, a sharp-tempered and sharp-faced girl from down the road, he begins to wonder if he's the one who should be trying to rescue Roza.

I didn't know a lot about this book going in, so the magical realism that builds throughout the novel was a surprise to me. A pleasant one, just unexpected. Up until things start getting magical, it's a pretty typical, if well-written, story of a small-town boy who doesn't fit in. I'm not sure everything completely came together for me in the end, because I liked this but didn't love it, and I suspect that I won't remember many details a few months from now. Still, if YA and/or magical realism is your jam, you'll probably like it better than I did. ( )

This was a curious book that kept me up to figure out the mystery. ( )

What a lovely, lovely book. Finn and Petey, made for each. Beauty lies within a person as evidenced by Finn's love for Petey. Excellent.
Even the 'fantasy/magic' didn't throw me off. Very different. Very well written. ( )

Note: I have seen this book tagged 'LGBT' on goodreads. There's 1-2 lines about a very minor character coming out in the last chapter of the book.

I finished this book yesterday and I'm still not sure how to write a review for it. Bone Gap was as lovely and strange to read as the town it's set in.

The book is told in alternating perspective chapters, mostly featuring Finn, a dreamy native of Bone Gap, and Roza, a Polish exchange student. It quickly becomes clear that Roza's disappearance was a kidnapping, and that she is being held by a man who covets her beauty. Finn's dreaminess is more than simple distraction; he thinks he can hear the corn talking to him and he struggles with identifying faces.

I found the romance between Finn and Petey sweet and unique as far as heterosexual small-town romances go. The way subtle magic was interwoven in their nighttime horseback rides was a nice contrast to the way the relationship between Roza and her kidnapper unfolds.

There are ways that Bone Gap reminded me of the novels of Barbara Kingsolver and Alice Hoffman in that it was felt magically surreal, like a dream on a hot summer night. 7.8/10


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