‘Bones and All’ by Camille DeAngelis Review

There can be times when loneliness can affect many aspects of our lives. Some can feel lonely surrounded by others, some feel lonely but find it comforting, and others are constantly seeking something to fill their emptiness. It can also stem from not fully understanding who you are or questioning your life purpose.

Synopsis:

In Bones and All by Camille DeAngelis, young Maren wants to know who her biological father is. So she can connect the missing pieces of her development into an “eater”. Even though the novel highlights cannibalism, DeAngelis uses it as a metaphor for emptiness. The characters of Maren and Lee have both learned how to cope with loneliness. They both crave human connection and intimacy, which they never received coming from a broken home. DeAngelis focuses on the budding romance of Maren and Lee, rather than the concept of cannibalism. She tests their morals and how to approach connecting with other humans. Socially, it’s difficult for Maren and Lee to find their place in the world because of who they are, but when they find each other they work through it together.

Is the Movie better than the Book?

This year Luca Guadagnino director of Call Me By Your Name and Suspiria, took a bite out of DeAngelis’ novel. The adaptation was different than the novel, but I do think that Guadagnino captured the themes quite well. Guadagnino structured the love story between Maren and Lee in a different manner that made me wish he had followed through on the journey they had in the book. Taylor Russell and Timotheé Chalamet did have excellent chemistry, but I was left wanting more.

This year Luca Guadagnino director of Call Me By Your Name and Suspiria, took a bite out of DeAngelis’ novel. The adaptation was different than the novel, but I do think that Guadagnino captured the themes quite well. Guadagnino structured the love story between Maren and Lee in a different manner that made me wish he had followed through on the journey they had in the book. Taylor Russell and Timotheé Chalamet did have excellent chemistry, but I was left wanting more.

Guadagnino also changed that Maren was looking for her mother instead of her father, which changes the dynamic of the empty void she had felt growing up. The one thing that Guadagnino did get right was Sully, played by Mark Rylance. Whenever he was on screen, there was an ominous feeling and he completely embodied the character. Sully was on the opposite end of the spectrum with regard to human emotion and connectivity. He was socially awkward and didn’t know how to approach people. He was a very generous person but with an ulterior motive. The one thing that should have been in the film is the twist in Sully’s familial relationship with Maren. Guadagnino decided to focus on the romance between Maren and Lee without getting too into detail about her family instead.

After watching the film, I can truly say that the structure of the book by DeAngelis is much better because of the character development. She was able to build the characters extremely well and focus on the relationships within the book to make an engaging story.

How Many Stars Would You Give It?

Bones and All by Camille DeAngelis is a unique novel that explores romance, loneliness and relationships. I rated it four out of five stars on GoodReads. Did you read the book or watch the movie? Let me know in the comments below!