The Bone Hunters by Joanne Burn

In 1824, Lyme Regis is as tumultuous as the sea that surrounds it. Wealthy holidaymakers dance in the Assembly Rooms whilst the poor riot over the price of bread, scientists do battle with theologists, and amidst it all, one woman is about to make an extraordinary discovery.

When twenty-four-year-old Ada Winters – poor, peculiar and brilliant – uncovers a set of unusual fossils on the cliffs, she believes she has found the answer to her scientific frustrations and her family’s financial struggles.

Meanwhile, Doctor Edwin Moyle has come to Dorset in search of the discovery that will place him amongst the greatest geologists of the age. What he finds instead is a strange young woman who seems to hold the key to everything he seeks.

But what is the creature that Ada and Edwin seek to unearth? And will it be their means to greatness, or destruction?

---

Ada is a fantastic character and one that I immediately warmed to.  She and her mother are poor, but Ada received a better than usual education at her father’s insistence.  From a young age, she’s been fascinated by the fossils she finds in the cliffs near her Lyme Regis home, extracting and polishing them, and occasionally selling them on when her mother insists on it to bring in some much-needed coin.  She is desperate to join the Geological Society, and yet the novel opens with a rejection letter, politely yet firmly informing her that such a society is just for men, despite Ada’s ability to contribute.  Dejected but undeterred, she continues, finding a partial fossil that she believes to be from an as yet unidentified aquatic creature.  She knows she’s onto something, but how to share it without losing the recognition of the find?

Ada is a headstrong individual, and I loved her decision to reject societal norms, despite the difficulties in making such a choice.  She doesn’t want to get married or have children – all she wants is the opportunity to hunt for fossils and to join the Geological Society, knowing that she can add value.  It makes her something of a pariah in Lyme Regis, attracting gossip and even ridicule from her neighbours.  I loved her resilience in the face of this – she comes across as belligerent at times, but she’s such a testament to doing your own thing no matter what others might think, and it’s something that I love to see in a character, particularly for a novel set at a time when women were so limited in their choices.  There is an element of fragility about her as well though – she’s hurt by the attitudes of others, although she’d never let that show.  A clever and curious individual, she’s a quirky character I enjoyed getting to know.

Through Dr Edwin Moyle, Burn highlights the inequalities of the age.  Moyle is a doctor at his father’s behest, but his real passion is for fossils, and he takes a three-month sojourn in Lyme Regis, intent on making a discovery that will make his name and show his father that his hobby is worthwhile.  He is, of course, a member of the Geological Society, despite having a fraction of Ada’s knowledge and skills.  I found him to be an arrogant man – comfortable and confident with his place in the world.  It’s such a contrast to the insecurity in Ada’s position as she and her mother struggle to pay their rent, heat their almost derelict house, and put food on the table. 

While not an obvious match, the two are brought together, both needing something from the other.  Ada could make the discovery of the century, but there’s no way that she could take it to the Society and get the recognition she deserves for the discovery.  Moyle, in contrast, has that access, but needs Ada’s skills and the partial fossil that she’s discovered does look promising.  It makes sense for them to work together, and Moyle seems willing to credit Ada as an equal.  I couldn’t help but feel nervous on Ada’s behalf, however – Moyle says all the right things, and yet it’s clear that he has the advantage, and I couldn’t wait to see how this partnership would play out and whether the loyalty and mutual respect was truly there.  

Ada is loosely based upon Mary Anning, but rather than a fictional biography (a la Tracy Chevalier’s Remarkable Creatures) Burn has chosen to write a fictional tale around this individual, giving her more freedom than she might otherwise have had.  The Bone Hunters is excellent, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Mary Anning.  I enjoyed seeing Ada and Edwin work together (there’s distinctly more work on Ada’s part, it has to be said) and seeing that relationship develop.  Burn creates some dramatic and darker moments, and Ada is challenged in many ways throughout the novel.  It’s heartbreaking at times, particularly as I became more invested in her character and wanting things to work out for her, despite the odds.  And I enjoyed the conclusion to the novel, although of course I won’t spoil that for you.