Spoiler Free

"Being a coward has never been fashionable."

This is a book I probably wouldn't have been able to appreciate even as recently as the roughly year and a half ago it showed up in a @night_worms package. I can see myself finding it too dense, getting frustrated, and DNF'ing it. 

Now though, I can appreciate Jawbone for what it is: a BEAUTIFULLY written (and translated), nuanced, layered, and incredibly dark book. 

The top paragraph on the back of the book makes you think you're reading about a teacher who has kidnapped one of her students who has become estranged from her best friend.  And that's true...that IS a component of the book. The kicker here is the sentence that asks "how did this happen?"

That question turns out to be incredibly loaded, because the HOW is really the heart and soul of Jawbone. The HOW is a coming of age tale of Fernanda's and Annelise's friendship and betrayal, Miss Clara's descent into madness, and the intersection of those two components. It's the most clear cut example of the journey being more important than the destination I can think of. 

Briefly, the task of translating this must have been a massive undertaking. This book doesn't seem like it's a translated work at all, which in and of itself is mind boggling. TIP: read the translator's note before diving in. 

This book DEMANDS your attention. The act of reading Jawbone should be active and deliberate, so put your phone down, hide the remote, and get started. 

I'll tag a few people who I think should have this book on their radar, and finish how I started, which is with a memorable line from the book. 

"We aren't going to adopt this place, we're going to be part of its neglect."