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Every Bone a Prayer
Misty's holler looks like any of the thousands of hollers that fork through the Appalachian Mountains. But Misty knows her home is different. She may be only ten, but she hears things. Even the crawdads in the creek have something to say, if you listen.
All that Misty's sister Penny wants to talk about are the strange objects that start appearing outside their trailer. The grown-ups mutter about sins and punishment, but that doesn't scare Misty. Not like the hurtful thing that's been happening to her, the hurtful thing that is becoming part of her. Ever since her neighbor William cornered her in the barn, she must figure out how to get back to the Misty she was before ― the Misty who wasn't afraid to listen.
This is the story of one tough-as-nails girl whose choices are few but whose fight is boundless, as her coping becomes a battle cry for everyone around her. Written by a survivor of sexual abuse, Every Bone a Prayer is a beautifully honest exploration of healing and of hope.
All that Misty's sister Penny wants to talk about are the strange objects that start appearing outside their trailer. The grown-ups mutter about sins and punishment, but that doesn't scare Misty. Not like the hurtful thing that's been happening to her, the hurtful thing that is becoming part of her. Ever since her neighbor William cornered her in the barn, she must figure out how to get back to the Misty she was before ― the Misty who wasn't afraid to listen.
This is the story of one tough-as-nails girl whose choices are few but whose fight is boundless, as her coping becomes a battle cry for everyone around her. Written by a survivor of sexual abuse, Every Bone a Prayer is a beautifully honest exploration of healing and of hope.
314 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 4, 2020
360 people are currently reading
7564 people want to read
About the author
Ashley Blooms
8 books170 followersAshley Blooms is the author of Every Bone a Prayer, which was long-listed for the Crook’s Corner Book Prize and which NPR said “bears within its pages striking beauty and strangeness in equal measure.” Her second novel, Where I Can’t Follow, will be published in February 2022.
Born and raised in Cutshin, Kentucky, Blooms received her MFA as a John and Renee Grisham Fellow at the University of Mississippi. Her short stories have appeared in The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Strange Horizons, among others. Her nonfiction has appeared in the Oxford American. She’s been awarded scholarships from the Clarion Writer’s Workshop and Appalachian Writer’s Workshop, served as fiction editor for the Yalobusha Review, and worked as an editorial intern and first reader for Tor.com.
Born and raised in Cutshin, Kentucky, Blooms received her MFA as a John and Renee Grisham Fellow at the University of Mississippi. Her short stories have appeared in The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Strange Horizons, among others. Her nonfiction has appeared in the Oxford American. She’s been awarded scholarships from the Clarion Writer’s Workshop and Appalachian Writer’s Workshop, served as fiction editor for the Yalobusha Review, and worked as an editorial intern and first reader for Tor.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 395 reviews
August 16, 2020
When I read the author’s note to the reader at the beginning of this book, I thought about putting it aside. She tells you exactly what to expect : “depictions of sexual abuse between children, domestic violence, emotional abuse ...” Blooms tells you it’s okay if you “need to set the book aside”. I didn’t set it aside because she also says “I wanted to write a story about what comes after the hurt —how we find a way back to each other and to ourselves.”
It’s unsettling from the beginning, sad at once and a little eerie. Misty had a “gift” or a “power” that allowed her to speak to the nature around her beginning with the crawdads, and they speak to her - not with spoken words but words from within, as she speaks to them. She can take on their pain, their life in a way, as they do hers and as the story progresses, I felt her pain, too. This is definitely one where you have to suspend your disbelief. I would have called it magical realism for those things and the more eerie things to come, but I read an interview with the author to try and better understand what I had just read. She says:
“I consider my work as belonging more to fabulism or slipstream than magical realism due to the latter’s history. It’s my understanding that literary magical realism was originated by Latin American authors who often used the genre as a tool of subversion against colonization. I don’t share that background, so magical realism doesn’t feel like the appropriate genre, although others might disagree. “ https://booktrib.com/2020/08/04/dark-...
I had to look up slipstream. “Slipstream is a kind of fantastic or non-realistic fiction that crosses conventional genre boundaries between science fiction, fantasy, and literary fiction. The term was coined by cyberpunk author Bruce Sterling in an article originally published in SF Eye #5, in July 1989.” (Wikipedia)
Therein lies my reservation about the book. I had a difficult time with the genre, but in spite of this, Misty stole my heart. At first, my rating was 3.5 stars rounded up, but then I woke up yesterday thinking of Misty and how the author made me connect with her and want so much for her - to heal and find a way of communicating with the people around her, especially her sister, Penny. I decided that I would have to give it a solid 4 stars, for how deeply I was affected by the story. I’m not going to say any more about it because there are book descriptions and other reviews to do that. I’ll only say that in spite of my difficulties with the telling, I was moved.
I received a copy of this book from Sourcebooks Landmark through Edelweiss.
It’s unsettling from the beginning, sad at once and a little eerie. Misty had a “gift” or a “power” that allowed her to speak to the nature around her beginning with the crawdads, and they speak to her - not with spoken words but words from within, as she speaks to them. She can take on their pain, their life in a way, as they do hers and as the story progresses, I felt her pain, too. This is definitely one where you have to suspend your disbelief. I would have called it magical realism for those things and the more eerie things to come, but I read an interview with the author to try and better understand what I had just read. She says:
“I consider my work as belonging more to fabulism or slipstream than magical realism due to the latter’s history. It’s my understanding that literary magical realism was originated by Latin American authors who often used the genre as a tool of subversion against colonization. I don’t share that background, so magical realism doesn’t feel like the appropriate genre, although others might disagree. “ https://booktrib.com/2020/08/04/dark-...
I had to look up slipstream. “Slipstream is a kind of fantastic or non-realistic fiction that crosses conventional genre boundaries between science fiction, fantasy, and literary fiction. The term was coined by cyberpunk author Bruce Sterling in an article originally published in SF Eye #5, in July 1989.” (Wikipedia)
Therein lies my reservation about the book. I had a difficult time with the genre, but in spite of this, Misty stole my heart. At first, my rating was 3.5 stars rounded up, but then I woke up yesterday thinking of Misty and how the author made me connect with her and want so much for her - to heal and find a way of communicating with the people around her, especially her sister, Penny. I decided that I would have to give it a solid 4 stars, for how deeply I was affected by the story. I’m not going to say any more about it because there are book descriptions and other reviews to do that. I’ll only say that in spite of my difficulties with the telling, I was moved.
I received a copy of this book from Sourcebooks Landmark through Edelweiss.
June 8, 2020
When I saw that Leah Weiss, author of If the Creek Don’t Rise Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard out of Carolina, as well as Silas House, author of some of my favourite books Clay’s Quilt, Southernmost, A Parchment of Leaves and others, including Michele Richardson, author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek had all praised this book, I added it without hesitation.
When I began reading this, or perhaps before I read the story but had opened the book to A Word from the Author and paused for just a moment after reading it.
This is, was, a tough story to read, filled with trauma, but also with wonderful, endearing characters – particularly the main character, Misty, a ten-year-old girl who I adored, and rooted for – as well as some hauntingly beautiful imagery, and magically infused southern lore.
Set in the hollers in the Appalachian Mountains, Misty seems to be the most at peace when she’s in nature, communing with the crawdads in the creek near the trailer where she lives with her parents and sister. Their parents seem to be fighting more lately, and this day is no different.
Misty’s older sister, Penny, is focused on the things that are changing, especially the changes they’ve seen in their yard. Unusual, sculpture-like objects appear to be growing in their yard. Needless to say, this creates quite a stir in their small community. People gather to discuss the evil nature of these sculptures, and as time passes, another one appears. Meanwhile, Misty seems to be disappearing into herself, afraid of leaving her room, and afraid of being in her room with her sister, who seems of late to be even more ill-tempered than usual.
Heartbreaking at times, with moments of beauty, this story wasn’t always easy to read. As in If the Creek Don’t Rise, there were moments of cruelty, darkness, abuse, but I placed my trust in the moments of beauty, and I’m glad that that I did.
Pub Date: 04 Aug 2020
Many thanks for the ARC provided by SOURCEBOOKS Landmark
When I began reading this, or perhaps before I read the story but had opened the book to A Word from the Author and paused for just a moment after reading it.
This is, was, a tough story to read, filled with trauma, but also with wonderful, endearing characters – particularly the main character, Misty, a ten-year-old girl who I adored, and rooted for – as well as some hauntingly beautiful imagery, and magically infused southern lore.
Set in the hollers in the Appalachian Mountains, Misty seems to be the most at peace when she’s in nature, communing with the crawdads in the creek near the trailer where she lives with her parents and sister. Their parents seem to be fighting more lately, and this day is no different.
Misty’s older sister, Penny, is focused on the things that are changing, especially the changes they’ve seen in their yard. Unusual, sculpture-like objects appear to be growing in their yard. Needless to say, this creates quite a stir in their small community. People gather to discuss the evil nature of these sculptures, and as time passes, another one appears. Meanwhile, Misty seems to be disappearing into herself, afraid of leaving her room, and afraid of being in her room with her sister, who seems of late to be even more ill-tempered than usual.
Heartbreaking at times, with moments of beauty, this story wasn’t always easy to read. As in If the Creek Don’t Rise, there were moments of cruelty, darkness, abuse, but I placed my trust in the moments of beauty, and I’m glad that that I did.
Pub Date: 04 Aug 2020
Many thanks for the ARC provided by SOURCEBOOKS Landmark
August 3, 2020
4.5 heartbreaking stars (rounded up)
I’m still thinking about this book weeks after I’ve read it. It’s a tricky one to review because I want to do it justice and share my thoughts without giving too much away.
This one is about Misty, a 10-year-old who can commune with nature – she can talk to animals and she’s got a special affinity for crawdads. She lives in a holler in Appalachia and things can be a bit rough with family, including her older sister. I’m debating if this one would be considered magical realism, but Misty seems to have some special gifts.
Her best friend William lives next door, but one day he corners her in the barn and takes things too far. Misty doesn’t think she can talk to anyone about what is going on and she wants to crawl out of her skin. Strange things start growing in their neighbor’s garden and soon it is the talk of the town with town folk coming to check out the glass objects pushing up out of the earth.
Misty is one tough and resilient girl and I rooted for her throughout this book. While it isn’t an easy book to read, it is worthy of your time and hopefully healing.
If you are a fan of “Where the Crawdads Sing” I think you would like this one.
Trigger: sexual abuse
Thank you to BookBrowse for the complimentary copy of this one. I can't wait to discuss this one with other readers!
I’m still thinking about this book weeks after I’ve read it. It’s a tricky one to review because I want to do it justice and share my thoughts without giving too much away.
This one is about Misty, a 10-year-old who can commune with nature – she can talk to animals and she’s got a special affinity for crawdads. She lives in a holler in Appalachia and things can be a bit rough with family, including her older sister. I’m debating if this one would be considered magical realism, but Misty seems to have some special gifts.
Her best friend William lives next door, but one day he corners her in the barn and takes things too far. Misty doesn’t think she can talk to anyone about what is going on and she wants to crawl out of her skin. Strange things start growing in their neighbor’s garden and soon it is the talk of the town with town folk coming to check out the glass objects pushing up out of the earth.
Misty is one tough and resilient girl and I rooted for her throughout this book. While it isn’t an easy book to read, it is worthy of your time and hopefully healing.
If you are a fan of “Where the Crawdads Sing” I think you would like this one.
Trigger: sexual abuse
Thank you to BookBrowse for the complimentary copy of this one. I can't wait to discuss this one with other readers!
May 30, 2024
this just made one of my favourite reads ever in my life. it took a while to read because the subject matter is pretty heavy, but it was an honour to be on this journey. beautiful. poignant. it hurt too. and i cried loads. but i will be thinking of this book for a long time. the magic in this story is so beautiful and so heartwarming. i have highlighted so many sentences on my kindle. need to transfer them to my physical copy. this is the kind of book i have been looking ages for.
i read this while travelling (bad idea cuz crying) plane and train. and the conductor had to come and tell me to leave the train bc we reached the final stop and i didn’t even realise lol and was the last one there.
i want to be friends with crawdads.
*please read the content warnings before beginning this book.
i read this while travelling (bad idea cuz crying) plane and train. and the conductor had to come and tell me to leave the train bc we reached the final stop and i didn’t even realise lol and was the last one there.
i want to be friends with crawdads.
*please read the content warnings before beginning this book.
did-not-finish
September 30, 2020When I saw this book was compared to Where the Crawdads Sing I jumped at the chance to read it. Unfortunately, it's a DNF for me after the first few chapters. Minority opinion here — EVERY BONE A PRAYER is very heavy on the magical realism to the point of being silly. Usually I enjoy that element, but this time it was too much. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
November 30, 2019
There's something about this book that feels like a story I've heard before. A wives'-tale from my mammy in Lawrence County, a ghost-story from my great-aunt. It's a story we've all heard before, about wounded women, about girls who want so badly to crawl out of their skins that they finally do. But this story is also about what comes next--how we heal, and what it costs.
It's hard. It's honest. I loved it.
It's hard. It's honest. I loved it.
February 7, 2021
A fantastical yet genuine, loving yet hurtful, brilliant yet dangerous story. So emotional and well done that I found myself, and most I knew, in at least one character. I am Penny in this story; except I didn’t realize what was happening until decades later in my version of this story. This is a regret I live with everyday as I was too blind to understand circumstances make us all the people we are. Because of a personal connection to this story I cannot objectively remove myself from my emotions to write about it. So please forgive this review for being haphazard and a bit abstract than my usual musings.
Lead gal Misty discusses names as being the complete essence of everything we are and have done; meaning we cannot avoid the awful things, but also must embrace the wonderful things too. An emotional, throat choking story that some will cry over, will make others lament their own choices, will invoke guilt in a few, and ultimately make every one of us consider what our name is and if we have embraced ourselves and our pasts.
Ashley Bloom has a magical way with words and imagery that gives essence to things that are impossible to describe or know. Her ability to transfer feeling from the words on the page to the reader is incredible.
The opening of this book has a trigger warning from the author in it. Instead of warning about some of the events that transpire in the book I think Bloom should warn that the reader may never be the same after reading it.
I’m not sure I’ll be able to write a conventional review for this novel as it has invoked so many emotions and thoughts that I cannot share with anyone other than my own crawdads (Misty’s creature of choice); my pet snakes. Ironic (or perfect?) that my pets also shed their skin like the crawdads Misty is obsessed with in Every Bone a Prayer. Maybe we all look to shed some part of ourselves and our past; when in actuality humans cannot shed, but we can embrace, accept, and move forward with making our name our own.
If this feels a bit too random or abstract for a review then all I can say is read this moving story and you’ll see for yourself how it changes you. Maybe you’ll have a review of your own that is abstract, emotional, and all over the place just like this one.
This was written moments after reading the last line and knowing if I didn’t write something in the minute it was being felt that nothing I could compose in the future would truly have the right emotion that I feel now.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Lead gal Misty discusses names as being the complete essence of everything we are and have done; meaning we cannot avoid the awful things, but also must embrace the wonderful things too. An emotional, throat choking story that some will cry over, will make others lament their own choices, will invoke guilt in a few, and ultimately make every one of us consider what our name is and if we have embraced ourselves and our pasts.
Ashley Bloom has a magical way with words and imagery that gives essence to things that are impossible to describe or know. Her ability to transfer feeling from the words on the page to the reader is incredible.
The opening of this book has a trigger warning from the author in it. Instead of warning about some of the events that transpire in the book I think Bloom should warn that the reader may never be the same after reading it.
I’m not sure I’ll be able to write a conventional review for this novel as it has invoked so many emotions and thoughts that I cannot share with anyone other than my own crawdads (Misty’s creature of choice); my pet snakes. Ironic (or perfect?) that my pets also shed their skin like the crawdads Misty is obsessed with in Every Bone a Prayer. Maybe we all look to shed some part of ourselves and our past; when in actuality humans cannot shed, but we can embrace, accept, and move forward with making our name our own.
If this feels a bit too random or abstract for a review then all I can say is read this moving story and you’ll see for yourself how it changes you. Maybe you’ll have a review of your own that is abstract, emotional, and all over the place just like this one.
This was written moments after reading the last line and knowing if I didn’t write something in the minute it was being felt that nothing I could compose in the future would truly have the right emotion that I feel now.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
July 24, 2020
Every Bone A Prayer is heartbreaking yet beautiful, haunting yet so very uplifting. It's the story of trauma, about healing and breaking free.
I absolutely adore the main character, Misty. Such a powerful force despite everything she's going through. I really got a feel for who she was, her struggles and triumphs ... her character was so well written.
This book is so unique and it's hard to put into words. I was completely immersed in this magical story.
Huge thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for my review copy!!
I absolutely adore the main character, Misty. Such a powerful force despite everything she's going through. I really got a feel for who she was, her struggles and triumphs ... her character was so well written.
This book is so unique and it's hard to put into words. I was completely immersed in this magical story.
Huge thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for my review copy!!
June 17, 2020
Readers will adore ten-year-old Misty! Haunting and healing, Every Bone A Prayer is a powerful debut that will leave its mark on readers' hearts.
August 24, 2020
This book is supposed to be magical realism. Misty, 10 years old is growing up in a family in an Appalachian holler. She is special as she talks to animals and especially crawdads. If they share their name's they can communicate. William is taking her into the barn and doing things she doesn't want him to do. When William plants a bottle in Earl's garden, the bottle grows into a big green, unbreakable statue. Most of this book is ridiculous and I don't understand the high scores on the reviews. The author is a good writer, with wonderful descriptive passages. The story just does not make sense.
March 30, 2020
How can you create a review of Ashley Blooms' debut fiction title "Every Bone a Prayer," when it guts you of all memory of words? I have never read a book like this before, and I wish I could re-read it "for the first time" every time I'll read it again, just so that I can re-live these heart-wrenching feelings the book has instilled in me even days later after finishing it.
This a speculative fiction/magical realism fiction novel about a special young girl living in a holler in the Appalachian mountains in eastern Kentucky, who has the ability to "speak" to the living and non-living things around her in her holler, like the crawdads in her favorite creek or the walls of the trailer she lives in with her mom and older sister. Every thing Misty talks to has its own story to share, and even though horrific, traumatic things happen to Misty throughout her own story, each and every word is woven together into a lyrical treasure.
Blooms' lyrical style of writing may be a little different for readers to get used to at first, but once the book has you in its hands, it refuses to let you go, and just like the crawdads in Misty's creek, this book will make you feel as if you're molting and growing right alongside with Misty and her family. If you're a fan of Haruki Murakami's magical realism style, this book will fit you like a perfect glove.
As a native of eastern Kentucky, reading the representation of Appalachia and rural Kentucky life in this book was like a fresh breath of much-needed air. Anyone who has ever lived in or near the mountains of eastern Kentucky will be able to identify with the special landscape in this book, and the poverty and relentless hope that comes with this land. The cast of characters touch on real-world issues, and the underlying cord of agency and feminism binding all of the women and male characters together brings to light problems persistent in Appalachia that many readers outside of the mountains might be less aware of. This is a book about hurt and hope, and you feel it so strongly in Misty's story that when the book is over, you can still feel those twin feelings sitting heavy in your skin and bones.
There's an element of horror in this novel that was so chilling I had to set the book down every other day while reading, just so that I could process what I was feeling and bring myself back to reality, despite being haunted by its story when I wasn't reading it. The grim undertones were written so well and so beautifully, that it was like watching flowers bloom out of a freshly tilled grave. This is a book that will leave its mark on me for the rest of my life, and I feel as if every reader who finishes this book will go to sleep each night with a small part of Blooms' heart held close to them.
This a speculative fiction/magical realism fiction novel about a special young girl living in a holler in the Appalachian mountains in eastern Kentucky, who has the ability to "speak" to the living and non-living things around her in her holler, like the crawdads in her favorite creek or the walls of the trailer she lives in with her mom and older sister. Every thing Misty talks to has its own story to share, and even though horrific, traumatic things happen to Misty throughout her own story, each and every word is woven together into a lyrical treasure.
Blooms' lyrical style of writing may be a little different for readers to get used to at first, but once the book has you in its hands, it refuses to let you go, and just like the crawdads in Misty's creek, this book will make you feel as if you're molting and growing right alongside with Misty and her family. If you're a fan of Haruki Murakami's magical realism style, this book will fit you like a perfect glove.
As a native of eastern Kentucky, reading the representation of Appalachia and rural Kentucky life in this book was like a fresh breath of much-needed air. Anyone who has ever lived in or near the mountains of eastern Kentucky will be able to identify with the special landscape in this book, and the poverty and relentless hope that comes with this land. The cast of characters touch on real-world issues, and the underlying cord of agency and feminism binding all of the women and male characters together brings to light problems persistent in Appalachia that many readers outside of the mountains might be less aware of. This is a book about hurt and hope, and you feel it so strongly in Misty's story that when the book is over, you can still feel those twin feelings sitting heavy in your skin and bones.
There's an element of horror in this novel that was so chilling I had to set the book down every other day while reading, just so that I could process what I was feeling and bring myself back to reality, despite being haunted by its story when I wasn't reading it. The grim undertones were written so well and so beautifully, that it was like watching flowers bloom out of a freshly tilled grave. This is a book that will leave its mark on me for the rest of my life, and I feel as if every reader who finishes this book will go to sleep each night with a small part of Blooms' heart held close to them.
January 2, 2020
It is hard for me to say enough about this book. It is gorgeous and heartbreaking, atmospheric and hopeful. Set in the rural Appalachian hollers we so rarely see in literature, this is a story about the things that happen, the marks they leave, and the way they change us.
August 8, 2020
I really wanted to like this book, but for me it fell flat. The introduction includes a disclaimer...”And please note that if you need to put this book aside, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s ok to protect yourself.”
With that being said, I prepared myself for a rollercoaster ride of tears and heartbreak. I never got that. For me, Misty’s character and experiences didn’t give me all the “feels” I was expecting. Also, the mystical realism through me for a loop. It was way too fantastical and took away any connection I had with Misty.
With that being said, I prepared myself for a rollercoaster ride of tears and heartbreak. I never got that. For me, Misty’s character and experiences didn’t give me all the “feels” I was expecting. Also, the mystical realism through me for a loop. It was way too fantastical and took away any connection I had with Misty.
May 19, 2020
Holy cow, this was one heck of an emotional roller coaster ride! It’s so realistic and well written. The character development was beautifully done and really had me in heart wrenching pain at times. I do think some with triggers may need to step away, because it’s a hard book to read, but was done in a way that made me need to finish it. Beautiful, soul crushing, and much more, highly, highly recommend! Grab a copy ASAP!
I’ll make sure to buzz it up on the platforms and use low reviewer number on amazon on release day!
I’ll make sure to buzz it up on the platforms and use low reviewer number on amazon on release day!
August 10, 2020
This was heart breaking, and beautiful. I can appreciate the manor of which of how Misty dealt with her trauma. But, the magical realism aspect of it wasn't my favorite. Do not get me wrong, it's beautifully written, I just found myself struggling to read through some parts.
Also, I loved that the Author included a note to readers about the trigger warnings in this book, while I appreciated it, it also made me very apprehensive to read it. The child on child sexual abuse pushed my comfort level, and it was pretty hard for me to stomach.
Also, I loved that the Author included a note to readers about the trigger warnings in this book, while I appreciated it, it also made me very apprehensive to read it. The child on child sexual abuse pushed my comfort level, and it was pretty hard for me to stomach.
February 2, 2021
No bueno. Once a garden starts talking and having conversations with a main character, you know you are in trouble and I sure was. It never recovered. It was also the kind of book where you can read only the first line of every paragraph and be perfectly up to speed. I'll never get those 3 days back...
July 23, 2022
This book broke my heart but also helped me a heal a lot of childhood traumas. I didn’t get into it / understand the meaning until after the statues began showing up. Then I quickly saw how alike Misty and myself are in how we react to trauma. Childhood SA takes away autonomy from little ones and it is difficult to get that back.
June 26, 2021
People generally do not want to read about bad things that happen to children. I don't. And usually, I won't. This is a hard read.
This book was a gift from my husband who was being thoughtful and bought me a book off the round table at our local chain bookstore and had no idea what it was about - he is not a reader - but cut him some slack - I'm thrilled he brought me some books because I still believe books are the best gift ever.
Immediately upon opening the book is the author's note of warning. So, I put the book down. But it haunted me. So I picked it up, re-read the author's note and the first page and put it down again. But it kept staring at me from my bookshelf and asking, (yes, speaking to me like a crawdaddy to Misty) "What are you afraid of? Bad things happen to children every day in this messed-up world. You can't keep your eyes closed forever. And there may be something in this book you need to know." So I submitted and picked it back up and I'm so glad I did. I read it in one day which is highly unusual for me - but I wanted it purged and I had to know how things turned out for Misty before I could go to sleep.
Yes, it is a hard book to read, and probably not for everyone. But, at the same time, it was rewarding to learn what one who has experienced trauma goes through to seek out beyond the trauma and manage it. I think there are some really healthy tools and wise insights offered in the text. Nuggets that come through to Misty through her conversations and her observations of others (and things) around her.
There is no perfect childhood, no one can escape a scar or two (or two thousand), and Blooms does a fantastic job of putting that into words through a child's thoughts. Beautifully done. My gut wanted to give this book 2 stars because it hurt to read some of it - made me angry that Blooms felt possessed to type those hurtful things on a page and share them with the world like an unleashing of evil. But the other side of that argument whispered: but hard things happen all the time, every day, and we need to not hide from this fact, but face it and see how to be helpful to those who suffer. My anger turns to awe as I realize the bravery it took Blooms to write these traumas, spill them on the page, and then have to revisit them over and over again through the editing process.
This book haunted me before I even read it. And even managed to whisper to me before I even knew about the theme. It was well put together and fluid. It made its point and it made me feel for this child. She was real to me and I wanted to save her. So I can't rate this book poorly because it made me angry and took me to ugly places. It took me places and changed my perspective and I am grateful for that. Blooms helped me understand just through words on a page what it would be like to be in Misty's situation and I am grateful for that understanding as hard as it was. 5 stars.
This book was a gift from my husband who was being thoughtful and bought me a book off the round table at our local chain bookstore and had no idea what it was about - he is not a reader - but cut him some slack - I'm thrilled he brought me some books because I still believe books are the best gift ever.
Immediately upon opening the book is the author's note of warning. So, I put the book down. But it haunted me. So I picked it up, re-read the author's note and the first page and put it down again. But it kept staring at me from my bookshelf and asking, (yes, speaking to me like a crawdaddy to Misty) "What are you afraid of? Bad things happen to children every day in this messed-up world. You can't keep your eyes closed forever. And there may be something in this book you need to know." So I submitted and picked it back up and I'm so glad I did. I read it in one day which is highly unusual for me - but I wanted it purged and I had to know how things turned out for Misty before I could go to sleep.
Yes, it is a hard book to read, and probably not for everyone. But, at the same time, it was rewarding to learn what one who has experienced trauma goes through to seek out beyond the trauma and manage it. I think there are some really healthy tools and wise insights offered in the text. Nuggets that come through to Misty through her conversations and her observations of others (and things) around her.
There is no perfect childhood, no one can escape a scar or two (or two thousand), and Blooms does a fantastic job of putting that into words through a child's thoughts. Beautifully done. My gut wanted to give this book 2 stars because it hurt to read some of it - made me angry that Blooms felt possessed to type those hurtful things on a page and share them with the world like an unleashing of evil. But the other side of that argument whispered: but hard things happen all the time, every day, and we need to not hide from this fact, but face it and see how to be helpful to those who suffer. My anger turns to awe as I realize the bravery it took Blooms to write these traumas, spill them on the page, and then have to revisit them over and over again through the editing process.
This book haunted me before I even read it. And even managed to whisper to me before I even knew about the theme. It was well put together and fluid. It made its point and it made me feel for this child. She was real to me and I wanted to save her. So I can't rate this book poorly because it made me angry and took me to ugly places. It took me places and changed my perspective and I am grateful for that. Blooms helped me understand just through words on a page what it would be like to be in Misty's situation and I am grateful for that understanding as hard as it was. 5 stars.
June 29, 2020
“She learned that everything had a name. Not the name that most people knew them by, but something different, an underneath name made of sounds and memories and feelings, a name that shifted and grew and evolved.”
Lyrical and mystical, Every Bone a Prayer is a brutal and honest look at 10-year-old Misty’s struggle against a soul-crushing trauma in the rural Appalachian holler where she lives with her mother and older sister. This book is unlike any book I’ve ever read; it is a disturbing story but the author has steeped it with magical realism and old mountain folklore that is written so eloquently that every sentence resonated with me on a deeply emotional level. Misty is a character that I won’t soon forget, wise beyond her years, she is both wounded and strong and forever imbedded in my heart.
“She’ll wish for those years of forgetting, wish for a time when she didn’t remember her body like this. But the memories will keep surfacing in dreams and in shudders.”
While the story has heartache within its pages, I also found an equal amount of joy. Ms. Blooms seemed able to capture me at every moment, whispering to my soul like Misty’s crawdads in the creek or the tree’s that told stories in their deep gentle voices. This is not an easy story to read, there is abuse and violence but there is also love and light to be found, too.
Lyrical and mystical, Every Bone a Prayer is a brutal and honest look at 10-year-old Misty’s struggle against a soul-crushing trauma in the rural Appalachian holler where she lives with her mother and older sister. This book is unlike any book I’ve ever read; it is a disturbing story but the author has steeped it with magical realism and old mountain folklore that is written so eloquently that every sentence resonated with me on a deeply emotional level. Misty is a character that I won’t soon forget, wise beyond her years, she is both wounded and strong and forever imbedded in my heart.
“She’ll wish for those years of forgetting, wish for a time when she didn’t remember her body like this. But the memories will keep surfacing in dreams and in shudders.”
While the story has heartache within its pages, I also found an equal amount of joy. Ms. Blooms seemed able to capture me at every moment, whispering to my soul like Misty’s crawdads in the creek or the tree’s that told stories in their deep gentle voices. This is not an easy story to read, there is abuse and violence but there is also love and light to be found, too.
September 21, 2020
This book was so effed up that I don't even know what I just read. The author gives a trigger warning at the beginning so I almost did not read it. Not because I would be triggered, but once I know something is coming I spend the whole time being tense while reading knowing something bad is coming. Misty is 10 years old and can talk and feel nature around her. I am so baffled because every time she was sexually assaulted something strange would grow out of a garden near her home. What the Hell is that about?! I was so confused! I understood her wanting out of her skin because of being sexual assaulted and blaming herself but this book was very messed up! This book is a Booksamillion book club pick but WTH? I gave it three stars because the ending is kind of redeeming while still being confusing. I just don't know what to say.
October 25, 2020
I have dreaded writing this review. I am so torn on this book. I understand it's written with symbolism, and although I understand the symbolism, I do not feel it did the story justice. The book is about pain, trauma, trails of trauma and learning to heal. I just would have preferred the story being told differently, more realistically perhaps. Even though it is from a child's point of view, it did not feel as it was. It felt like a middle aged woman writing from a child's POV. I had to finish it because I was invested, but I could not wait to finish it. I was relieved to be done. I just don't know any other way to express my reactions. The writer has great detailing and can bring the pages to life tho. I felt like I was there watching it all unfold. But in the end, I just cannot say I enjoyed reading this book. I do hope it helps those who need it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2023
I got this book at my local dollar store!
This book’s genre was something I’ve not really read before. But let me say this. The back of the book says “Crawdads sings meets Lovely Bones” I can kind of see that, but maybe at the very end does it become lovely bones. The majority it is very similar to crawdads sing. Having loved both of those books I think helped me get into this book and the beautiful and interesting world the author set up. This book isn’t my usual genre as stated above, but there are elements of horror in it that are more empathy based. You fear for the characters well-being’s and the glass man was also something interesting and would love to have more on. Over all, this book was a good read and It’s interesting.
This book’s genre was something I’ve not really read before. But let me say this. The back of the book says “Crawdads sings meets Lovely Bones” I can kind of see that, but maybe at the very end does it become lovely bones. The majority it is very similar to crawdads sing. Having loved both of those books I think helped me get into this book and the beautiful and interesting world the author set up. This book isn’t my usual genre as stated above, but there are elements of horror in it that are more empathy based. You fear for the characters well-being’s and the glass man was also something interesting and would love to have more on. Over all, this book was a good read and It’s interesting.
August 4, 2020
Set in the Appalachian mountains. The story of ten-year-old Misty. Misty has a gift of being able to hear and speak to things. The birds, the trees, she understands them. What Misty doesn't understand is people. While her sister is focused on the strange things growing in their yard, Misty is trying to understand why her friend William is hurting her in ways she doesn't understand. I love southern fiction, this was gritty and breathtaking, emotional and heartbreaking. Well written and lyrical. It held me from the first page. A great book for book clubs.
Dawnny Ruby
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley NY
Dawnny Ruby
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley NY
August 23, 2020
Never having read anything with magical realism I realized I do not like this genre. When I started the book it was so far out there, I put it down. Reading the reviews which were so great I picked it up again. I still didn’t like it! I could hardly find the story! It dealt with a sensitive topic, sexual abuse, luckily not terribly descriptive and the aftermath of a 10 year old girl living in Appalachia. The story itself was buried to deeply for me!
October 2, 2020
I do not say this lightly, but this is probably the best novel I've ever read bar none. The writing was beautiful and highly descriptive, painting images that are hard to forget. The main character and the story touched me at such a deep level. It acknowledged the pain of certain traumas that are often not discussed in this way. I don't want to give away too much about this novel, except to implore you to read it.
August 17, 2020
Cried my eyes out finishing this on my porch yesterday. Gorgeous prose, deeply moving, told with honor and grace and courage. Absolutely stunning.
August 22, 2020
This book has too much magical realism or mysticism( or whatever you call make believe ) for me.
January 10, 2021
This is a gorgeous and harrowing book. I'm glad to have read it.
July 28, 2022
3.5 stars. "A Word from the Author" at the start of the book provides a warning which may be unwarranted and could exaggerate the reader's anticipation of the story's trauma. The trauma, although very real, was not graphically described in itself; its effects were, but the whimsicality and magical realism gave it a dreamlike feeling. I found it difficult to get into story at first, but, once I did, I enjoyed it - the descriptions of Misty's holler and her family were gorgeous and Misty's vision and strength in the face of her trauma were memorable.
May 3, 2020
Misty's world is falling apart. Her parents are separating, her sister has no time for her and her best friend becomes her abuser. This beautifully written book tells the story of Misty's fight to survive, to heal and to grow as she learns to let the people who love her back in to help. Her strength is inspiring and very reminiscent of Kya in Where the Crawdads Sing.
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