Synopsis
When her life is unexpectedly upended, Anna escapes London - and her husband - for a remote cottage in the wetlands of rural England. She hopes the solitude might unblock the novel she can't bring herself to write.
Out in the marshes, the locals discover something shocking, risen to the surface after many years buried in the silty earth. Anna is drawn to the site, fascinated and shaken by what she finds there. And as researchers descend, her curiosity gives way to obsession . . .
An unsettling, propulsive and fiercely tender novel about buried loss and renewal, Our Numbered Bones explores how we must unearth the past in order to make peace with what we've lost.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Canongate Books
- ISBN: 9781837265107
- Number of pages: 224
- Dimensions: 220 x 141 x 20 mm
- Weight: 333g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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Raw, poetic and tender. A powerful adult fiction debut
Katya Balen is a phenomenal writer and over the last few years has captivated younger readers( and adults) with her magical, sometimes ethereal, moving an... READ MORE
Devastating but well worth the read!
This was devastating... my favourite kind of book! The last 15% had be sobbing and then immediately calling my mum to tell her I love her
Fantastic adult fiction debut
Our Numbered Bones is Katya Balens first adult novel and I certainly hope it isn’t her last!
Anyas life has been upended following a personal tragedy a... READ MORE
Completely immersive
This novel can certainly count amongst one of the most visceral novels I have read. Whilst the spine of the story is clear - distressed and damaged author ... READ MORE
Exquisite Writing
Thank you to the publishers for this early review copy.
Having read some of Katya's children's novels I was delighted to receive a copy of her adult debut... READ MORE
I loved it
Katya Balen’s first adult novel is emotional, raw, poetic and wonderful. I’ve loved her YA books and if this is what she is going to produce for adults, I’... READ MORE
Exquisite
Exploring a tender subject with exquisite skill, this beautiful novel hangs between poetry and prose, a style that perfectly captures how the narrator is t... READ MORE
Stunning debut into adult fiction
Our Numbered Bones is a quiet, meditative novel about grief, creativity and the slow work of facing what has been buried. Anna, a writer stalled by loss, r... READ MORE
We carry stories within us
Katya Balen's debut adult novel is writing about writing, or in this case failing to write. Anna is blocked because the only subject in her mind is too dif... READ MORE
A beautiful novel of extraction and uncovering
Katya Balen is a well known children’s author – whose second children’s book “October, October” won the Carnagie Prize (the UK's oldest and most prestigiou... READ MORE
A powerful and unique voice.
Exploring a tender subject with exquisite skill, this beautiful novel hangs between poetry and prose, a style that perfectly captures how the narrator is t... READ MORE
Beautiful and sad
Anna goes to an isolated cottage in Norfolk, she is meant to be writing her book, but really she is running away, from life, from work, from grief. Except ... READ MORE