Our Numbered Bones is a a beautiful meditation on grief, moving on after tragedy, and how we are all connected throughout history. Katya Balen wove together compelling narratives for modern day and (even though we didn't get a lot of it) the Iron Age.

Our Numbered Bones isn't the type of book I would usually pick up, but I'm very glad I did.

i finished weeks ago and i’m still thinking about the atmosphere. i knew katya balen from her children's books (which are lovely), but our numbered bones is such a confident and haunting adult debut.

the premise immediately grabbed me: anna, a grieving writer, heads to a remote retreat in rural england to escape her mother’s dementia and her own writer's block, only to become obsessed with an ancient body found preserved in the wetlands.

what i loved about this book is the atmospheric writing. the author's background in children's lit shines through in the best way; the prose is lyrical and accessible, not overly dense. you can practically feel the damp cold of the fens and the mud on your boots. it’s incredibly grounded in nature. second thing i adored was the parallel narratives. i’m a sucker for "past meets present" stories. the way anna’s internal processing of her trauma mirrors the excavation of the bog body was beautifully done. it didn't feel gimmicky; it felt like a genuine exploration of how we dig up our own ghosts.

most important thing that got me was the portrayal of grief; anna’s anxiety and the claustrophobia of being stuck in a cottage with her own thoughts felt very real. it was so relatable.

why 4 stars?? it is very introspective. because anna is isolated for much of the book, you spend a lot of time in her head. it’s beautiful, but at times i wanted the pacing to pick up just a little bit. however, the ending brought it all together in a way that felt earned and cathartic.

if you like books like the essex serpent or stories where the landscape is just as important as the characters, pick this up. it’s a sad, tender, and ultimately hopeful story about what we preserve and what we let go.

4.5 ❤️⭐️

thank you so much HarperVia for this arc. it was such a beautiful read.

This book has everything that I love in a novel. Balen writes such an amazing adult debut that explores grief, trauma, and womanhood in such an interesting way. I will think about this book for a long, long, long time. The language is absolutely stunning, which I noticed from the first page. I can't wait to read a physical copy of this when it's published.

A stunning novel depicting grief and womanhood. Katya Balen did a phenomenal job weaving tenderness into such heavy themes. Anna was a beautiful character to follow, and her growth throughout the story was wonderful.

This was a great read, and I look forward to purchasing this once it’s been published.

Thank you to the publisher, HarperVia, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!