“When I read a book I can be somebody else.” Camille DeAngelis, Bones & All.
Our reality is living in a world full of comparison and self-judgment. Everyone’s lives are steeped in jealousy and desire. No matter how much a person is repulsed by these desires, they seem to win every time. Camille DeAngelis goes into extraordinary depth on this topic in her book “Bones and All”. To the untrained eye, this story talks about a world where cannibals exist and are the cause of some cold cases and mysteries in the world. If readers look deeper, they will find a take on our society and how humans see themselves. In one review on the social networking website Medium, Writer Mai says, “When it comes to this book I do not think the purpose is to forget the morality behind eating people but to focus more on feeling like an outsider.”
The story follows a teenage orphan, Maren Yearly, trying to find her dad who she thinks might be an ‘eater’ like her. In Maren’s world, people who eat other people call themselves eaters. Before the book begins, Maren had never met another eater. On her journey to find her father, she encounters two. One who tries to guide her in life and one with whom she falls in love. Maren has few belongings, but she always keeps a book around her. She is filled with self-hatred and disgust with herself, so she likes to escape her real life by finding peace in a book. Sophomore Seve Soler said, “The deeper meaning to me is about coming to terms with who you are even if it’s dark and gross and you don’t like it, and I think it represents shame for the darker and grosser parts of somebody.”
Throughout the book we see multiple victims of Maren’s inescapable need to be an eater. The book clearly shows that Maren herself doesn’t believe that eating people is normal or right in any way. She hates herself for it. She hates herself for how it affected her relationship with her mom, before she was abandoned. When she thinks back on her past victims she feels immense remorse and longing to take it all back. It is to be interpreted by the reader that DeAngelis does this on purpose. She wants readers to understand this young girl who hates herself. She wants people to relate to Maren, only then to be reminded that she eats people and is inherently bad. Maren is an outsider in her own story. That is, until she meets Lee.
Lee is an eater too and ever since they met, no matter how hard they try, Maren and him always seem to end up together. Lee provides Maren with a sense of understanding and loyalty. Lee seems to be falling for Maren faster than Maren is for Lee. Considering that, readers can still tell their connection is undeniable and the flame of their love is igniting. Though their relationship gets complicated at times, they always find a way back. Another thing that many readers can relate to and find empathy for. Junior Vella Habets said, “My favorite aspect was how Maren and Lee always seemed to find their way back to one another. The message which I took away was that love is something that consumes someone.”
In 2022 “Bones and All” was adapted into a feature-length film directed by Luca Guadagnino. The film stars Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet as Maren and Lee. While the movie changes some details from the book, the overall thesis is the same. Guadagnino does an amazing job at interpreting the theme of “Bones and All” while still being able to cut the story down to movie length. Junior Hazel Henderson says, “I think the deeper meaning of ‘Bones and All’ is humanity and connection. By using cannibalism as a metaphor for isolation and loneliness, the author/director can depict Maren’s journey of self-discovery as she tries to fight (and ultimately succumbs to) her destructive urges while feeling like an outsider.”
“Bones and All” depicts one’s uncertainty of themself and how our society will automatically assume the worst of someone just because they are different. Readers can find solace in a character like Maren and learn more about themselves while reading.
