Bone Gap

Bone Gap is a young adult novel by Laura Ruby. It features magical realism, meaning that the setting is realistic with fantastical elements. There are also mystery and crime elements. The novel is set in rural Bone Gap, Illinois, and is told from the third-person omniscient perspective. The narrator is all-seeing, knowing everything about the characters and events.

The story follows Finn, an 18-year-old man. He is the only witness to the abduction of a beautiful young Polish woman, Roza. Because Finn can’t provide details about the kidnapper’s appearance, the town is skeptical and assumes Roza left of her own accord or that Finn was involved in some way. Finn’s older brother, an EMT named Sean, is in love with Roza. Sean gave up on his dreams of going to medical school to take care of Finn after their mother, Didi, abandoned them. About a year prior to the abduction, Sean discovered Roza crying in the brothers’ family barn. Sean offered to care for her and let her stay in the spare room of their house. Sean blames Finn for her disappearance, though he never says it aloud.