A guy made psycho by his mother who then commits serial killings out of anger for the love he never had, and moreover who is obsessed with the beauty of his own body – wait, where have I heard this before? Oh yes, “The Red Dragon.” (“The Red Dragon, in case you don’t know, is the first story in the Hannibal Lecter saga, taking place before the events in “The Silence of the Lambs,” and after Lecter’s original capture and incarceration.) This particular rendition of the “Mom-Made-Me-A-Serial-Killer And Isn’t My Body Beautiful?” story has as its protagonist “The Bone Man,” or Satan, as he doesn’t mind being addressed. And to complete the Christian imagery, we also have various Fathers against whom the Bone Man has a beef; crucifixion imagery; and a priest-cum-psychologist to interpret the whole thing.
The Bone Man has been collecting young girls, trying to convince each she should be his perfect daughter, but alas, the image of his mommy intervenes and off he goes, breaking every bone. But one girl is different: his latest abduction, Bethany. And her father, Ryan, is different too. He is willing to lose his own life to save Bethany’s. Ryan was captured in Iraq, and had been forced to observe first-hand the pain of an Iraqi father who lost his children to “collateral damage.” Ryan watched him kill other children in retaliation, even as the man sobbed. This is important for both Ryan and the author, one gathers: Ryan learns a lot about parental love and sacrifice, and the reader is reminded that not all the casualties in Iraq are soldiers.
It’s not as gory as it sounds, although it is plenty unpleasant, and most of the characters besides Ryan and Bethany are portrayed in a fairly one-dimensional manner. There is not much literary value here, but a fair amount of suspense. And the book plays an interesting role in delivering a political message about Iraq that you almost miss, being caught up in the chase. In short, it is a decent choice for the beach or the airline, but maybe not as an addition to your Great Books shelf.
Rating: 3/5
For a different take, check out a sampling of other reviews:
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I’ve never read anything by Mr. Dekker and I am very interested in reading this one! I’m not sure it’s a book that I’d normally pick up, but I’m curious nonetheless!
I haven’t read The Red Dragon, so I didn’t have it to compare Boneman’s Daughter to. I enjoyed Boneman’s Daughter, but I agree that it doesn’t have much literary value. Thanks for the link to my review.
I didn’t actually *read* Red Dragon; I agreed to go to the movie with my husband because it starred Ralph Fiennes! But what is this thing with serial killers and obsession with their own bodies? I wonder if that’s a “real” phenomenon or just some plot device authors think (correctly!) that makes the character more creepy!
Sorry, but creepy is not my thing. It would be nightmares for a week if I were to spend any time with the book,
Creepy is not my thing either! I have purposefully avoided this book because I know it’s not one I’m going to enjoy. I liked your review though.
I keep thinking Ted Dekker is a mainstream author and then found out he was more Christian Fiction. This just sounds disturbing … I wonder why the icky stuff was necessary? I think I’ll pass.
I really enjoyed Kiss by Dekker. This one seems so so by many. I have it on my IPOD. Thanks for the great review.
I had forgotten all about The Red Dragon.
I got this on audio and it was a good listen. I did not care for the narrator’s girlie voice but what can you do? I also did not like any of the female characters but I found it to be one of the few audio books that I actually paid attention to.
I love the movie The Red Dragon! I think I read the actual book once too and enjoyed it.