The Bone Cay: A Novel

Magda, caretaker of Whimbrel Estate in Key West, once home to a young poet in 1918, is faced with a dilemma. A hurricane is approaching, and she can’t bring herself to leave. What would happen to her life’s work and research if she left? Deciding to stay, she discovers an old trunk with a skeleton, but it’s hard to gather clues about it as the storm rages. To make matters worse, two people show up needing help, the estate’s handyman and his teenage daughter. They are stranded, and supplies are not sufficient to last more than a few days. Not only are they trying to survive the storm there may be other dangers that Magda hadn’t foreseen before she decided to ride out the hurricane. Will she be able to survive?

This is an atmospheric and descriptive tale, to be sure. It delves into Magda’s past, that of her beloved poet, her current situation trying to survive the storm, and the dangerous conditions posed by two strangers. But it takes a while for the story to get going, and I wish there had been more action in the beginning. It picked up towards the end, which made it a little more interesting. An epilogue would have been a nice addition as well.