The Feathered Bone by Julie Cantrell

The Feathered Bone by Julie Cantrell

Feathers—no matter what size or shape or color—are all the same, if you think about them. They’re soft. Delicate. But the secret thing about feathers is . . . they are very strong.”

In the pre-Katrina glow of New Orleans, Amanda Salassi is anxious about chaperoning her daughter’s sixth grade field trip to the Big Easy during Halloween. And then her worst fears come true. Her daughter’s best friend, Sarah, disappears amid the magic and revelry—gone, without a trace.

Unable to cope with her guilt, Amanda’s daughter sinks in depression. And Amanda’s husband turns destructive as he watches his family succumb to grief. Before long, Amanda’s whole world has collapsed.

Amanda knows she has to save herself before it’s too late. As she continues to search for Sarah, she embarks on a personal journey, seeking hope and purpose in the wake of so much tragedy and loss.

Set amidst the murky parishes of rural Louisiana and told through the eyes of two women who confront the darkest corners of humanity with quiet and unbreakable faith, The Feathered Bone is Julie Cantrell’s master portrait of love in a fallen world.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a book that you will require at least one full box of tissues beside you in order to read. I was enthralled with this story, and the characters. It doesn’t take long for the story to lift off and leave you praying, hoping, wishing that you could do something to help the characters escape the situations they are in.

This book deals with many heavy themes, but somehow still presents itself as hopeful in the end. The author did an exquisite job of layering her novel with compound issues the characters had to face, and reminding the audience that we can not only survive nearly anything, but can also begin to heal, even from the worst of trauma in our lives.

Whilst this is not always an easy book to read, and will touch upon subjects and explore areas that may be harder to face for some than for others, it is a beautiful book. The guilt the main character feels over the various situations she is involved in is present throughout the story, and I thought it made her seem more realistic and made it easier to identify with her.

I liked this book mostly because it isn’t about perfection. The people here are faced with real world issues and have to overcome them in order to move on. The descriptions of New Orleans were amazing and the way the author described the feelings of the characters made me want to hug them.

I did predict what was going to happen in some parts pretty early on, but with the nature of this story, I think that was to be expected. Overall, I thought this was an emotional and beautifully written book with a lot to offer anyone who reads it, and is certainly worthy of a recommendation.

This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review and was downloaded through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

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