Review of "A Stir of Bones"
By Nina Kiriki HoffmanViking Juvenile, 2003
Review by Su Terry on Aug 24th 2004

A Stir of Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman was
a finalist for the 2003 Bram Stoker Awards. The novel is a
suspenseful supernatural story about family abuse, friendship, and
self-discovery. This novel is the
prequel for the "Matt Black"
series.
A
Stir of Bones is set during the fall of 1982 in Guthrie on the coast of
Reading this book is like peeling
an onion. It takes time a long time to discover the inner emotional pain of the
various characters. While an astute reader should suspect right away that all
is not well in Susan's home, the true nature of the family's dysfunction is
slow to be revealed. Susan's gift of "house sense" is one I suspect
many children of dysfunctional family's can identify with or wish they could
possess. Trudie Adams is another interesting
character. She also possesses secrets. She is lonely, selfish, and destructive.
Nathan is the character in the novel with a message. He is truly a character
that knows human despair - his parents are dead, he has no familial or
financial support, and he believes that he has contracted a fatal disease - he
is however the champion of holding on to life no matter the severe of life's
problems. He is the firm voice against suicide. In the end, the novel focuses
upon the destructive practice of keeping secrets and how friends can overcome
the practice by challenging it.
Nina Kiriki Hoffman is an award winning author
of science fiction and fantasy. She has received awards for the following
novels, The Thread That Binds the Bones (1993; Bram Stoker Award) and The Silent Strength of Stones (1995,
finalist for the Nebula and World Fantasy Awards). She is the author of the
"Matt Black" series including, two novella Unmasking (1992, nominated for a World Fantasy Award) and "Home for Christmas (1995, nominated for
the Nebula, World Fantasy, and Sturgeon awards), full length novels, A Red Heart of Memories (1999, nominated
for a World Fantasy Award); Past the Size
of Dreaming (2001); and prequel A
Stir of Bones (2003). Her other
works include, Legacy of Fire (1990); Courting Disasters and
Other Strange Affinities (1991); Child of an Ancient City (1992);
and A Handful of Twist-Ties (1995); Common Threads (1995; which
includes both The Thread That Binds the Bones and A Handful of
Twist-Ties); Body
Switchers from Outer Space (1996); Why I'm Not Afraid of Ghosts
(1997): I Was a Sixth-Grade Zombie (1998); Star Trek Voyager #15:
Echoes (1998); and A Fistful of Sky (2002). She lives in
A
Stir of Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
is an award winning story about abuse with a ghostly flair. The book
is not unusually spooky or scary, and is appropriate for Grade 6 and up. Highly recommended.
© 2004 Su Terry
Su Terry: Education:
B.A. in History from Sacred Heart University, M.L.S. in Library Science from
Southern Connecticut State College, M.R.S. in Religious Studies/Pastoral
Counseling from Fairfield University, a M.Div. in
Professional Ministry from New Brunswick Theological Seminary, a Certificate in
Spirituality/Spiritual Direction from Sacred Heart University. She is a
Licensed Minister of the United Church of Christ and an Assistant Professor in
Library Science at