Bone Memories

(Paperback)

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This third novel from acclaimed Queensland author Sally Piper focuses on the repercussions, within one family, of a terrible crime. Even though sixteen years have passed, Billie will never recover from the murder of her daughter, Jess, and clings to her memory - and the site of her death - like a life raft. Daniel, who was a toddler when his mother was killed, can recall little of what happened but knows if he's to have any chance of a better future he needs to move on from that defining event - if only his grandmother would let him. Meanwhile Daniel's stepmother, Carla, also feels trapped by Jess's legacy but has a plan that she believes will help everyone to escape from the long shadow of that terrible event. Deeply human, evocative and beautifully written, Bone Memories explores themes of human connection and the memorialisation of place; the way trauma is felt in the body and in the earth; and the ripples and repercussions of violent acts on victims and survivors. It also considers those who disregard human connections to place and the damaging effect this has on those powerless to make others understand the depth theirs.

Reviews

'Bone Memories is a tender, wise and forensic look at what the earth holds -- the roots of the living, the secrets of the dead, the memories of all who came before. It is a celebration of the power of witness, as well as the power of nature -- and an elegy to its loss.'--Kristina Olsson

'Sally Piper's writing goes straight to the heart of things; how we grieve, love, survive, and remember. Her fiction asks fundamental questions about nature, earth, and our bodies: where does trauma and memory live and linger How do we memorialise what we cannot bear to forget Bone Memories is a powerful exploration of conflicts, common ground, and what it means to own our stories.' --Holly Ringland

'Bone Memories got right under my skin ... Tense and compelling, Piper has written a page-turner that is also an elegant meditation on memory and grief and the ground we tread.' --Kate Mildenhall

'At the heart of this moving and beautiful book is the tender exploration of a family and the love that holds them together, and their reckoning with unspeakable grief. Piper is such a vivid and acute observer of people and place that Bone Memories seems both perfect and, when it ends, a personal loss. I loved it.' --Lucy Treloar

Author Bio

Sally Piper's debut novel Grace's Table was shortlisted for a Queensland Premier's Literary Award and she was awarded a Varuna Publishing Fellowship for her manuscript. Her second novel The Geography of Friendship was shortlisted for an Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA). Sally has had short fiction and non-fiction published in various online and print publications in Australia and the UK, including in Griffith Review, The Saturday Paper, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Weekend Australian. She holds a Master of Arts (Research) in Creative Writing from QUT and is an active member of the Queensland writing community.