Bone by Bone by Sanjida Kay

Bone by Bone
By Sanjida Kay
Published by Corvus (Paperback - 1 September 2016)
ISBN: 978-1782396895

Publisher's description

Laura loves her daughter more than anything in the world.

But nine-year-old Autumn is being bullied. Laura feels helpless.

When Autumn fails to return home from school one day, Laura goes looking for her. She finds a crowd of older children taunting her little girl.

In the heat of the moment, Laura makes a terrible choice. A choice that will have devastating consequences for her and her daughter...

My verdict
Bone by Bone is a well-written psychological thriller about how far a mother will go to protect her child.

On reading the prologue, I thought this was going to be another 'missing child' book, but instead the plot focuses on bullying tactics - by both children and adults. When Laura's daughter Autumn is bullied by an older boy at school, Laura is determined that the young thug doesn't get away with it. But one silly mistake in the heat of the moment comes back to haunt her, time and time again.

This is a compelling read that kept me gripped right until the end. Told from the points of view of both Laura and Autumn, it focuses on how one small event can escalate matters out of control - and how easy it is to be let down by the people and services who are supposed to provide protection.

The book highlights the emotional impact of bullying and how damaging it can be to all those involved. There was a growing sense of unease as the plot developed, leading to uncomfortable reading at times. It definitely made me think about 'what if it happened to me or my children' and that, to me, is the sign of a good book.