New Zealand and The Bone People

Milford Sound, Fiordland

I’m traveling to New Zealand over spring break, and I’m beyond excited to go. I have been saving up for this trip ever since my senior year of high school after reading a book called The Bone People by Keri Hulme, which is set in New Zealand. If you’ve never seen pictures or heard stories about New Zealand, I’ve attached a few pictures so you can see the beautiful places I’m planning to visit while there these next two weeks.

I’ll say more about my trip after break, but I actually wanted to talk about The Bone People for my blog post. This is my favorite book. Ever. It’s so beautifully written, builds each character up in realistic complexity and depth, and gives readers a glimpse of the often overlooked indigenous people of New Zealand called the Maori. I’m one of those nerds who rereads books all the time, and I have recently been going through this one again in preparation for my trip.

Aoroki Mount Cook National Park

There are three main characters: Kerewin, Simon, and Joe. Kerewin is this half European, half Maori artist who has isolated herself from the world – living in her own home far away from civilization, glued to her liquor cabinet, and closed off to any social encounters. Simon is this European mute young boy who has a mysterious history. Joe is this sometimes violent, sometimes loving middle-aged Maori man who got stuck raising Simon as his foster son alone after his wife died. Each character tells the story of their intertwining lives, and what’s so special about this is the different perspectives, voices, and streams of consciousness each of them bring. Hulme does a fantastic job of making each character its own, and reading her work makes me feel like I’m actually inside each character’s head.

Church of the Good Shepherd

I won’t spoil the story for anyone who hasn’t read it, but what I love most about this book is the theme of imperfect love. You get to see how each character affects the other, how different cultures clash and reconcile with each other, and how friendship can spring in the most unforeseen places.

If you haven’t read this book, I highly, highly recommend it. It’s really difficult to read and understand the first time through because of its unconventional structure, infusion of Maori language, and stream-of-consciousness type writing, but if you can push through all that, I assure you – you’ll fall in love with the characters just as I did. Please tell me if you do or have read this book! I would love to talk to you about it and even show you pictures from my trip once I come back. Happy reading!