Bone Talk

Product Information

Jayne Gould, Armadillo. Candy Gourlay wanted to write a story set in her homeland, the story she would haveliked to have been able to read as a child, reflecting its history and culture. She hascertainly achieved her aim, creating this tour de force, a compelling, absorbing tale,which seeks to open minds, ask important questions and bring the diversity of theworld to readers - all things books should do. Bone Talk is the story of Samkad, a young Bontoc boy at the cusp of manhood. His journey towards becoming one is a thrilling and heart breaking adventure since the setting of the novel happened at a time of conflict and change. It is 1899 and the Philippines has entered a war with the United States of America. His village in the Cordilleras is not spared of the cruelty of invaders. Though, the opportunity to learn from a friendly stranger presents itself. This coming of age story has a lot to tell, and teach, about identity, honor, subversion, obedience to customs and traditions and the gray areas in between. With its vivid description and clear words, the story makes me feel as if I'm on the highlands of Bontok, too. Samkad's journey is told through powerful simplicity and engaging scenes. The story taught me to be more aware of the world outside of my own, to value my family and friends, and to face the challenges that will make me into a better person. "Bone Talk" was an awesome read.

Don't get me wrong, there were interesting parts and the characters and intrigue were nice but the story seemed a bit messy like it was telling you lots of things without focusing on one. But maybe that's just a good reflection of real life. Sometimes things get in the way of your goals. In this case it was the Americans.Years ago in a homestay's balcony overlooking the handsome Maligcong Rice Terraces was when I briefly met the author through my friend innkeeper. Unaware of her penned stories as I had never read one from her before, I intently listened to her share she was on that trip in the process of writing this fiction called Bone Talk, a play on the very town's name we were at, 'Bontoc'. How would you envisage teachers using ‘Bone Talk’ in their classrooms? Is there an age group that the book would work particularly well with? Do any activities or ideas spring to mind? Samkad is a boy, desperate to be a man. However, customs dictate he must listen to the ancients of his village and he cannot become a man until his brother is found. Candy Gourlay tells this brilliant adventure story from the point of view of a young Filipino boy from a time and place that most readers will know nothing about– and certainly from a previously unheard voice (most of what is written about the time is by Americans writing as tourists, anthropologists and conquerors).

What are the main differences and similarities between writing for older children and writing picture books? Do you have a preference for one type of writing? It was such a mixing bowl, churning with people of every colour, every story ever told, every work ever spoken. So easy to dive in, mix in, disappear into that melting pot. No fingers pointing, nothing to hide…’ Bone Talk is set in the magnificent highlands of the Philippines – a region called the Cordilleras, populated by impressive folk who carved rice fields out of vertiginous mountains and, for three hundred years, repulsed invasions by both Filipino lowlanders and colonizers from Spain. Gourlay has built a compellingly believable world of a people in an evocatively depicted world – in this case, it looks to me like the Cordillera’s Igorot people – on the cusp of being drawn into the state as the colonising world arrives with gusto. Samkad is an engaging narrator, excited by his changing status, keen to reach manhood and grappling with his responsibilities to his community, to his ancestors and to his friends and family. She has managed to avoid many of the Orientalist traps and myths of the ‘noble savage’ that could have tainted this and in doing so has constructed an image of Igorot life fitting for this realist genre: I look forward to reading Igorot novelists telling their own stories. In the meantime, we’ve got a well-cast young adult novel opening up a largely untold tale of the USA’s empire alongside an empathetic image of an Indigenous community still marginalised in Philippines life.Gordon Askew, Magic Fiction. This is not only a gripping read, but a hugely important book too. Read Samdak lives with his community, the Bontok, where his life is mapped out. He will become a man, help his community, and marry. However, when he captures, then loses, one of the Mangili, the Bontok’s sworn enemy, he puts the lives of all of his peers at risk. This is where he learns the difference between being a boy and being a man. With the audience knowing exactly how the colonists will treat Samkad and his village, it feels very much like watching a terrible unseen through the gaps between your fingers. It is certainly a novel with a message which makes you question colonialism and the spread of ideologies around the world. An examination into the Phillipine-American War that follows a small village and a budding young man, Samkad, who is waiting for the day he will become part of the men-folk. And that's why the author wrote this story, so that maybe she could put a solution to the problem. And the book is her version of a solution.

It begs the question why our current behaviour towards each other is every man for himself, when for thousands of years the community spirit held everyone together. It was a beautiful thing. We are thrilled to welcome author Candy Gourlay into The Reading Realm today to discuss Bone Talk, Shine, and Is It A Mermaid? Carnegie Medal Citation. Powerful, often poetic writing immerses the reader in an authentic sense of adifferent time and culture and wonderfully evokes the physicality of a very differentplace. At the same time very relatable characters and universal themes of coming ofage and fear of the different make this a gripping historical adventure. Wellresearched, convincing and written with respect, this is a book that takes the readeron a memorable journey and stays in the mind for a long time. I wondered if this reflected your own perceptions of the UK before you moved here from the Phillipines? What was your experience of moving here like?

Samkad’s story is told so sensitively, so lightly and so truthfully that you are completely transported (heart in mouth) to another time and world– until Samkad’s concerns are your concerns and you’re with him every step of the way.

Bone Talk is set in a period that has been allowed to fade away in many memories. In 1899, the United States invaded the Philippines. At the time there were still headhunting tribes, and my story is told from the point of view of Samkad, a ten year old boy who is looking forward to becoming a man when he will be given his own shield, his own spear and an axe to chop off the heads of his enemies. His best friend is Little Luki, who also dreams of becoming a warrior … except she’s a girl and in that society, girls do not become warriors. Then strangers begin arriving in their isolated village and slowly, they realise that the world is not what they thought it was. You often tell your stories through the use of dual narratives. Why is this? When writing dual narratives, do you write the stories alongside each other, at the same time, or write one at a time? What does the planning process look like? When I started writing I wanted to publish picture books. I only started writing novels because it was so hard to break into the picture book world. Is It a Mermaid is a dream come true. Picture books in the UK are published with an eye to the 0 to three year old reader, and publishers make money through translations in other markets … this means many interesting challenges to the storytelling and the story itself. Writing for specific markets, you have to consider so many things as an artist – not just theme and story shape but the emotional capacity of your reader. You also have to take into account that your reader has no experience, no hindsight. This, I think, is what differentiates the young reader from an adult reader.Her latest book is Mike Falls Up, illustrated by Carles Ballesteros, a portal fantasy for young readers beginning to explore beyond picture books. She has written a comics biography Illustrated by Tom Knight of the explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who happens to be credited with “discovering” the Philippines. Her novel Bone Talk was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Costa Prize in 2019 – it is set in the moment when headhunting tribes in the Philippines come face to face with American invaders. Her picture book, Is It a Mermaid, lushly illustrated by Francesca Chessa, was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal. Shine a ghost story for teens was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Book Prize. Her debut Tall Story was listed for 13 prizes including the Waterstones, the Blue Peter and the Branford Boase. It won the Crystal Kite Prize for Europe and the National Book Award in the Philippines. What an amazing book. It took six years to write and now it is out in the world - the uncovering of a buried past that will touch the lives of all of us, but be particularly poignant to those from a heritage of colonialism.