By Kaylie Seed
Content warning: domestic violence, gore, animal violence, sexual assault, miscarriage
Christina Henry’s latest horror novel Near the Bone is twisted, compelling, and intense. Mattie and her husband William live a secluded life in the mountains, but life for Mattie is far from idyllic. Mattie hasn’t seen another person for as long as she can remember, and her life is constantly in danger. During one of her regular checks at a rabbit snare, Mattie comes across the body of a mutilated fox and is no longer sure that she and William are alone on the mountain.
Mattie has an interesting character arc and without giving anything away, she goes from timid and submissive in the beginning to finding herself in the end. Near the Bone is written in the third person, however there is a heavy focus on Mattie’s inner dialogue and the reader will get to know Mattie as if the story was being told from her perspective. Henry focuses on the present but also ties in Mattie’s past so that the reader can understand why she acts the way she does.
Henry has created a story that evokes dread and creates suspense for the reader, something that not all authors can do with ease. While Henry has written a horror novel that is meant to spook the reader, she has managed to include some themes in Near the Bone that are quite important, including bravery, coming-of-age, and self-discovery. Near the Bone will keep the reader up until all hours of the night wanting to know what will happen next while also wanting to keep the lights on because it has quite the scare factor. With some supernatural aspects, Near the Bone reminds readers that some of the most terrifying monsters are closer than we would like to think.
*Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!