I’d like to say that I recently took a module while studying in forensic anthropology, Stephanie did not, that being said I was super impressed at all the nitty gritty details that she sewed into the fabric of this book, acknowledging the ‘Out of Africa’ theory and DNA. For me, authenticity is always a plus, it also shows that Stephanie has taken the time to properly research the themes and subjects included in Bone Lines.

Now that I’ve covered that, more about the storyline. The narrative is split into a dual storyline; past and present, present is Dr Eloise Kluft who is investigating an anthropological archaeological find. Kluft delves into the investigation to identify the individual whose bones tell a story of ancient proportions. As well as her job, Eloise has her life to concentrate on and her emotional past. The past is a hunter gatherer mother, who we come to know as Sarah. I would say that she’s the most developed of the ancient ancestors. She is lonely and mated with someone who I assume was a Neanderthal, an enemy that she was meant to kill until he turned around and that was the end of that love story. We see the story through Sarah’s POV after she’s given birth and that maternal instinct kicks in, she will live for her daughter and she will die her as they travel from the colder climate in the far north towards the warmth of the equator; Africa. I also loved that the main characters were both female, girl power!

The narratives, I think are used to compare past and contemporary life, as well as how life impacts you to a biologically level; genetically and physically. I thought the whole story was put together brilliantly, with the dual narratives complimenting one another whenever they crossed paths. The storyline wasn’t forced of filled with unnecessary information, it was great, pure and simple. ‘Bone Lines’ isn’t just a run of the mill novel, it’s makes you think about how we got here, as humans; our ancient ancestors and their tribulations of survival and courage. I also enjoyed that Charles Darwin was included in the story development, especially as he is one of the most famous contributors towards evolutionary research, including ‘survival of the fittest‘.

This review probably makes no sense, it may be disjointed and a load of gobble – dee – gook BUT I completely fell in love with this book, with Sarah and Eloise as characters. Stephanie got it all spot on for me and for that I will be keeping my ear to the ground aka eyes on Twitter for any news of her next book. Since graduating I’ve also been procrastinating about reading about anything like this BUT now I have my taste for it back, there is no stopping me.