Bone Lines – Book Launch – by guest author Stephanie Bretherton

Val Penny ♦ September 22, 2018 ♦ Leave a comment

I am honoured to be involved in the launch of Bone Lines, the new novel, out today, by my friend and fellow author, Stephanie Bretherton. This acclaimed novel is certainly well worth reading.

“Gracefully written… a brave and moving adventure of the imagination.”

Lindsay Clarke, author of The Chymical Wedding 

“A monument to the timelessness of human nature, a work of art…a masterpiece of pacing,”

New Orbit magazine (advanced supply of review)

“An accomplished debut…one to watch,” Su Bristow, author of Sealskin

“Opening up new worlds… what powerful fiction does best… This is a novel that can be appreciated on so many different levels. It had me rooting for two incredible women and kept me curious right through to a more than satisfying end. Like Sapiens …if fictionalised and seen through the eyes of two fierce and admirable women.” 5/5 for Bone Lines from Sara Wingfield, book blogger at www.zerofiltersaurus.com (full review to go live in launch week.)

Bone Lines: A young woman walks alone through a barren landscape in a time before history, a time of cataclysmic natural change. She is cold, hungry and with child but not without hope or resources. A skilful hunter, she draws on her intuitive understanding of how to stay alive… and knows that she must survive.

In present-day London, geneticist Dr Eloise Kluft wrestles with an ancient conundrum as she unravels the secrets of a momentous archaeological find. She is working at the forefront of contemporary science but is caught in the lonely time-lock of her own emotional past.

Bone Lines is the story of two women, separated by millennia yet bound by the web of life.  A tale of love and survival – of courage and the quest for wisdom – it explores the nature of our species and asks what lies at the heart of being human. 

Although partly set during a crucial era of human history 74,000 years ago, Bones Lines is very much a book for our times. Dealing with themes from genetics, climate change and migration to the yearning for meaning and the clash between faith and reason, it also paints an intimate portrait of who we are as a species. The book tackles some of the big questions but requires no special knowledge of any of the subjects to enjoy.

“A brilliant, genre-defying read, Bone Lines deftly unravels the wonder of oneness,” Barbara Bos, Editor, Women Writers, Women’s books

“Compelling… the story drew me in completely… a fascinating read,” Cheryl M-M, book blogger, mmcheryl.wordpress.com (review held back until launch week.)

About the Author

Reformed nomad, penitent PR, worrier of words, muddler of the middle way, peddlar of prose, thespian throwaway, secret tree-talker, animal intriguer, nearly nerd worthy, high-functioning hermit, exhausted optimist, mood juggler, beach botherer, cliff-hanger (outer), sun-supplicant, grateful partner, metaphysical rationalist, author-in-evolution, Homo sapiens (but none the wiser.)

Or, perhaps more sensibly: Stephanie is a restless Hong-Kong born Londoner, longing for more time at the coast, who misspent her youth in drama, media and marketing until returning to her first love, writing (inspired by a conflicting fascination for both science and spirituality.) This habit for words (and dichotomies) has taken many forms but now has been distilled into a novel,  Bone Lines, published on 6 September 2018.