Remembering the Bones: A Novel - Softcover

Itani, Frances

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802144004 ISBN 13: 9780802144003

Publisher: Grove Press, 2009

Synopsis

Best-selling author Frances Itani’s second novel is a beautifully written, moving tale of the staying power of family through time and memory, and the extent to which individual lives can influence and resonate in the world around them. Born on the exact same day as Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, Canadian Georgina Witley is invited to an eightieth birthday lunch at Buckingham Palace. All she has to do is drive to the airport and board the plane for London. Except that Georgie drives off the edge of the road, her car plunging into a thickly wooded ravine. Thrown from the car, injured, and unable to move, she must rely on her full store of family memories, her no-nonsense wit, and a recitation of the names of the bones in her body an exercise from childhood to remind her she is still alive. As Georgina lies stranded and helpless, she reflects on her role as a daughter, mother, sister, wife, and widow, on lost loves and painful secrets.

About this title

About the Author:

Frances Itani is the author of #1 best seller Deafening, which won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book (Caribbean and Canada region), and the Drummer General's Award for Fiction. It was a finalist for the IMPAC Award and for Canada Reads 2006; movie rights have been optioned. Her other books include two collections of short fiction: Leaning, Leaning Over Water and Poached Egg on Toast.

From Publishers Weekly:

A macabre setup makes for a surprisingly moving read in Canadian writer Itani's second novel to be published in the U.S. (after Deafening). Ottawa born and bred octogenarian Georgie Danforth Whitley has always noted similarities—including their birth dates—between herself and Queen Elizabeth, whom she privately imagines as Lilibet, a kind of parallel life-mate. A serendipitous invitation to enjoy a birthday lunch with the queen in London gives Georgie a rare opportunity to experience independence from her 103-year-old mother and her 50-something daughter. However, a momentary distraction on the drive to the airport ends with Georgie's car falling to the bottom of a ravine—with no one, except maybe Lilibet, knowing she is missing. Minutes turn into days with a wounded Georgie flashing back to pivotal (and not-so-pivotal) moments in her past as she attempts to crawl to her car. The narrative gathers momentum as Georgie's plight becomes increasingly dire and she searches through her catalogue of memories for a measure of her life's worth. The ending, with its potential for melodrama, is expertly played; throughout, Itani handles her tension-fraught material with a precise, light touch. (Jan.)
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About this edition

• Publisher: Grove Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0802144004
• ISBN 13: 9780802144003
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304