The Bones - by Katrina Watson (Paperback)

About the Book

In 1970s Australia, medical schools have no social conscience. The coursework is inhumane and students have no recourse.

The Bones is a gripping political mystery, wrapped up in questions of justice, trauma and humanity.

Book Synopsis

Shelley Conway is a medical student with a keen social conscience. However, in 1970s Australia, her medical school has no social conscience at all. The coursework is inhumane, and students have to toughen up and shut up.

Shelley is shocked to realise that not only is it compulsory for every student to purchase a box of human bones, but that nobody ever asks where the bones come from.

When Shelley finds a coded message in her box of bones, she is galvanised into action. She defies the Dean's threat to expel her from the course and goes to India to determine the origin of the bones.

What she discovers is much, much worse than she'd ever imagined.

The Bones is a gripping political mystery, wrapped up in questions of justice, trauma and humanity.

Review Quotes

'The Bones is a great read - packed with humour, energy and loveable characters and full of good old-fashioned heart. Shelley Conway is adorable.'

Jacinta Halloran, author of Dissection, Pilgrimage, The Science of Appearances and Resistance.

'Lovingly evocative of its time and place, Katrina Watson's impressive debut novel is an empowering account of a young woman's journey of self-discovery through a vividly etched, adventure-filled landscape.'

Paul Strangio, author of Keeper of the Faith, a biography of Jim Cairns.

'Helen Garner meets Jed Mercurio. Katrina Watson's The Bones is a triumphant debut.'

M.J. Hyland, author of the How the Light Gets In, Carry Me Down and This is How. M.J. Hyland has been shortlisted for the Man-Booker prize and listed for many other prizes including the Orange Prize, and the Commonwealth Writer's Prize.