Bonesland
Brendan Lawley
As soon as I finish school I’ll have the car packed. I’ll thunder past the dull cardboard boxes that Banarang calls shops, I’ll skim over the Bridge Street potholes without feeling a bump and I’ll fly up the freeway, bound for the city and civilisation.
Bones Carter is done with Banarang and his backwater existence. There’s not much to do but hang out with his friends, make bad rap music and count down the days until the end of school and the beginning of his new life in the city.
Then Naya comes to town. Brilliant, black and beautiful, she wants to change the world. She thinks Bones is a well of untapped potential. Bones thinks she’s delusional—but she makes him feel more hopeful than he has in a long time.
Bonesland is a wild ride through the small-town agonies of adolescence, packed with sex, drugs, love and hip-hop.
Listen to some tunes curated by Brendan Lawley while you read Bonesland.
REVIEWS
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‘Bonesland kept me up until the wee hours. It was a helluva ride…I was in love with Bones from his first breath.’
‘It’s rare we see teenage boys depicted in all their raw glory as we do in Bonesland. Lawley captures all that’s repugnant about modern masculinity, but reassures us that young Aussie men are not irredeemable…I can see why this book was shortlisted for the Text Prize. It should certainly spark some interesting conversations.’
‘This amusing, poignant coming-of-age story deftly addresses some of the issues facing today’s teens, from mental health to social media, and puts a fresh spin on a familiar message about the value of being yourself.’
‘This debut is bursting with quirky humour and incredible heart. You’re right there beside Bones as he rides wave after wave of emotion…There’s so much to love about this teen and the young author who created him.’
‘…has the raw feel of authenticity about it…a book impressively full of energy and, unexpectedly, heart.’
