Author(s): Lauren Roche

Contemporary Fiction | NZ Fiction

It wasn't always like this... Mila cradles her mother close; only the bittersweet truth matters now but no, it wasn't always like this. Mila is a child of the northern bush and she has a gift. Descended from generations of Croatian healers, Mila is surrounded by a happy extended family, and delights in the sights, sounds and scents of her beloved forest, where she listens, learns, and runs free. Tommy-next-door is a quirky kid with a passion for bones, fossils and the bush. He doesn't see the world as others do, but nothing escapes the Bone Man. Tommy is also Mila's best friend, but she doesn't know that yet. Then Mila's life is changed for ever by a tragic accident that Mila blames herself for. The family is torn apart but it's the events that happen after where the real tragedy takes place - events with far-reaching consequences - and Mila flees to the city, far from everything and everyone she loves. When life and death are very close their worlds hold hands, and now, years later, forest and family call Mila back home where Tommy helps her piece together the broken bits of her life. Powerful yet tender and beautifully imagined, Mila and the Bone Man unites enduring love with the power of healing. A novel about guilt, forgiveness and finding your way home. And the secrets we keep to protect those we love the most.