Center for Teaching & Learning

Rilla Brae’s life has taken a drastic turn. With her mother living in a mental asylum and her father’s recent death, she has to live with her grandmother on an island off the coast of Sabasco, Maine. Rilla has lived on this island her whole life, but one day she suddenly starts hearing voices at night. Not wanting anyone to think she is going down the same path as her mother, Rilla decides to keep her secret to herself. With her father dead, the only way for her to make a living is to continue to keep up with lobstering, as her father had before: a hard and low-paying job. But one day, while Rilla is out on her boat, she meets Sam, a student from USM who studies the neighboring island, Malaga. Rilla joins Sam on his expedition, and together they uncover life-changing secrets about the place Rilla thought she knew like the back of her hand.
One aspect I appreciated in The Rattled Bones was that author S. M. Parker tells the story through Rilla’s point of view. Using first person was effective because I always got a taste of how Rilla was feeling throughout the book. However, most books told through first person fail to develop the secondary characters as well. In The Rattled Bones, this was not the case. Simply through the dialogue, I could see what each character’s personality was like and how his or her feelings impacted the story.
Parker crafts each character’s personality amazingly. With Rilla telling the story through first person, you’d think you will only get a strong sense of her personality, but Rilla’s boyfriend Reed’s sharp and quick-to-talk personality, Gram’s stern but caring personality, and Sam’s kind and humble personality all shone through.
Another feature of The Rattled Bones that surpasses other novels is the effective mix of three genres: historical fiction, horror, and contemporary realistic fiction. Historical fiction comes in when Rilla and Sam learn about Malaga’s history, and the horror comes in with the voices and visions Rilla experiences. Some readers might think that three genres in one book is too much, but here they blended together perfectly.
I enjoyed how real facts were mixed into the story. For instance, when Rilla takes Sam lobstering, you learn true details about how lobstering works in real life. Other examples are the facts Rilla and Sam learn while exploring Malaga Island. It was impressive to learn information about Maine’s history that I didn’t know before, especially from a novel.
I also enjoyed the theme: there’s always something new to learn about a place you think you know like the back of your hand. Although Rilla has lived right next to the overlooked Malaga Island, she has no idea of the secrets it holds. Be sure to read the book, and you’ll find the secrets she and Sam discover.
I thought that The Rattled Bones was an amazing novel. With nothing to criticize, I would rate the novel a perfect 10/10. It was a real page-turner and was the perfect length. Readers who like a suspenseful plot, well-crafted characters, and a story with real facts mixed in will love this book, but I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading. So, what are you waiting for? Get yourself a copy of The Rattled Bones!
Forest
Simon Pulse, 370 pages