Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Biittner's Book Review: The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou

Our book club selection for this month was "The Bone Cage" by Angie Abdou. I was excited to have one of the Canada Reads (2011) selections on our list for this year as in past years I have tried to read all of their picks and I failed to do so in 2011.

Unfortunately, I was not a fan of this book. I say "unfortunately" because I always want to like an author's debut novel; I want to support any artist who creates something of their own, especially when I have no similar skill. I did like the narrative structure (dedicating each chapter to one of the two main characters Sadie and Digger). I did not like the uninspiring, almost cliché storyline and found the characters hard to like. It wasn't that the plot or character development was predictable per se just bland.  That said, I felt Abdou made a great attempt at presenting what it really is like to be an (aspiring) Olympian/athlete in Canada. Abdou also clearly shows how isolating each athlete's journey can be, and how difficult it can be to connect with people outside of, and within, your chosen sport. I think I just had a hard time connecting to the characters. For anyone involved in, or who has family members consumed by, sport then I would recommend it as I think it could be quite a poignant and/or resonant read.  All in all it was a decent freshman effort but not the right story for me.