Reddit reviews The Bone People: A Novel

I've never been able to pick a best anything, but here are a few of my favorites where "respectable literature" is concerned:

• The Bone People by Keri Hulme -- be warned: it does contain some serious child abuse. Not everyone appreciates the way that situation is resolved, either. Speaking of resolution, if you can't stand loose ends and unresolved mysteries, you're probably going to want to avoid this one. I've heard that Te Kaihau fills in some of the blanks, but good luck finding it at all. If you do, it will be very expensive.
  
  
• Blindess by Jose Saramago -- Absolutely brilliant. That said, while the book is ultimately uplifting, parts of it are pretty bleak and brutal. Also be aware that Saramago's narrative convention in this novel is deliberately disorienting in several ways. I thought it was put to very good use, but some people will find that kind of thing annoying regardless.
  
  
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy - Holy shit, this book is soul-crushingly bleak, depressing, and brutal from start to finish. It's also fantastic.

https://www.amazon.com/Bone-People-Novel-Keri-Hulme/dp/0140089225

That's worth a look too.

The Bone People by Keri Hulme could fit the bill. The main character is a recluse who unwillingly gets involved in the lives of a troubled boy and his father, but gradually grows to care for them both. Plus it takes place in New Zealand and includes little peeks into Maori culture, so that's pretty interesting.

I haven't read it myself, but I hear good things about Keri Hulme's 'The Bone People' in this regard. (Booker Prize 1985)

The Bone People by Keri Hulme