The Bone Thief by Vanessa Lillie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
“You can give me back my people’s bones and you can quit digging them up.”
“The most pathetic lies are the ones we tell ourselves.”
“Some places might be close on a map, but they are still a world away.”
“I realize kids aren’t rational, but then again, adults aren’t really either.”
The Bone Thief takes place in New England, specifically the state of Rhode Island. BIA archeologist Syd is the main character. Her boss has recently retired and she is now the go-to-person. She works closely with this local camp and especially with this group of kids to teach them about archeology. A country club and secret society type place owns it. There are some shady things going on including native bones, artifacts, and children going missing. The group wants to open a center that displays items and talks about history but to benefit whom? What is the reason behind it? Will Syd solve what is going on and will people get what they deserve?
Vanessa Lillie is the author and is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. This book was angering and frustrating. What the Indigenous People went through since Europeans landed on the shores (“as if the tribe wasn’t here from the first colonial boot on the ground stomping toward Independence Day”) is despicable and disturbing. I cannot believe it is something that is still going on. This novel sheds light on the desecration of native lands and belongings. “Power is power. People who have it think the way to keep it is by never giving an inch of what they’ve taken.” Firstly, I love that there are queer characters. I love the representation and how attention wasn’t drawn to the queerness. I also learned a lot reading this book including about the oldest powwow in the United States and the struggles that still exist today. When a girl goes missing, the person making signs asked if they should have put the race as white so maybe “people would care more.” This aspect plus the abuse of power is infuriating. There was a scene where cops were being bullies and assholes. It made my blood boil. And white people thinking that have a right to native babies? Unreal. “Lord, give me the confidence of a white man.” The words elucidate, immemorial, and desultory are the ones I captured and liked. So, I am currently watching this show, as part of my friends and my weekly show, that has this technique they utilize involving hallucinations and dreams without informing the audience. There was a little bit of this in the book as well. I am not a fan. I don’t like it and it annoys me so that put me off a little bit. There was also a scene that didn’t quite make sense logistically either. This is exactly the type of book you should read if you want to get a little more insight into the struggles of Indigenous People in a story setting. It was an ok book with some good messages.
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