She is her own knight in shining armour too. A knight in shining armour? He would be, if Roza wasn’t also such a strong narrator and didn’t have such a superb voice and agency within this narrative. It still troubles him because no one is looking for her, not even his brother Sean, who is supposed to love Roza.īrought down by guilt, worry and fear, Finn carries on until all of those become impossible burdens to carry. Now, months later, her disappearance still haunts Finn. No one believed her friend Finn – the sole witness of her abduction – when he told of her mysterious disappearance especially because he could not describe her kidnapper in detail.

When beautiful Roza went missing from Bone Gap, no one believed she was gone without her consent. Re-read that first paragraph knowing this, coming from this new perspective – how does that read now? A romantic fairytale scenario for a beautiful woman who is desired above all.Įxcept she says no. All that he asks is for her to love him back. Once upon a time, a rich, powerful and mysterious man falls in love with a woman and takes her away to a magical realm where all but one of her wishes are commands, everything she needs is available – from amazing rooms and castles to beautiful dresses and servants to give her anything she wants. How did I get this book: Review copy via Netgalley Not even Sean, who has more reason to find Roza than anyone, and every reason to blame Finn for letting her go.Īs we follow the stories of Finn, Roza, and the people of Bone Gap-their melancholy pasts, their terrifying presents, their uncertain futures-acclaimed author Laura Ruby weaves a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, magic and mystery, regret and forgiveness-a story about how the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are. But the searches turned up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. Who are you going to blame?įinn knows that’s not what happened with Roza. That’s just how things go, the people said. Just a few years before, their mother had high-tailed it to Oregon for a brand new guy, a brand new life. After all, it wasn’t the first time that someone had slipped away and left Finn and Sean O’Sullivan on their own. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren’t surprised. It’s also very romantic where it matters, empowering where it counts and beautiful in its telling.Įveryone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps-gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. It’s awfully tense and there is this feeling of anxious momentum that runs through this novel.

About fairytales, self-image, the heavy burden that beauty can be and the pernicious ways we look at and treat women. About the difference between looking and seeing.

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby