The year 1900 dawns on Jane Stretch, born with a disorder that causes her bones to grow oddly, or not enough and alone in the world after being abandoned by her sister and both of her parents. The debt they leave her with, needing to pay the landlady for the room, soon puts her in a bit of a bind. But help is on the way; that same landlady offers her a position assisting her husband, Dr Swift. Before she gets a chance to think about it, Jane is helping the doctor administer a tincture designed to cause spontaneous abortion. She holds the women’s hands, mops up their sick, and provides them with a kind and listening ear.

London at the turn of the last century provides a soot-stained, foggy backdrop to her story as she wends her way through a world unprepared to cope with her – how different she is, and how despite her deformities she is as intelligent as, or more intelligent than, the next girl. But abortion is against the law, and the doctor’s growing dependence on alcohol places her in a dangerous position indeed. Will she find happiness at last?

I started reading Janette Jenkins’ Little Bones on a whim, liking the simple, pretty cover and the sound of the title. And yet, over the course of the holidays, I tore my ravenous way through it and finished it completely. Jane is a character that, perhaps, shouldn’t work. Her inherent goodness seeps from every word; who wants to read about a character with no flaws? But there is not even a hint of cloying sweetness about her; Jenkins presents her in a utilitarian way that neutralises any potential for sugariness and easily immerses you in Jane’s world.

The psychology of the characters involved is easily understood, and while society functioned in a very different way, at the time, than it does now – there is no sense of culture shock. Jenkins clearly displays a sizeable measure of talent in helping people understand what amounts to a different world in an impressively seamless fashion. Furthermore, the sticky moral issues brought up during this tale of deceit, betrayal and criminality are presented in a no-nonsense way that doesn’t impede the story.

While the pacing is a bit unusual to say the least, Little Bones definitely comes with my hearty recommendation. If you’re looking for an engrossing read that will leave you with a few ethical questions to answer but won’t feel like a personal agenda in story-form, then this is definitely the book for you!

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