The Bone Collector's Son

I stumbled upon Paul Yee’s The Bone Collector’s Son while looking for another book, but I was intrigued by the title and decided to choose it instead. It tells the story of a young Chinese boy, Bing, whose father, Ba, collects bones and sends them back to their families in China. Bing is ashamed of his father and his profession at first, but by the end of the book both he and his father grow and change. After his father digs up a set of bones missing a head, strange things start to happen. Then Bing goes to work as a houseboy in a haunted household owned by the Bentley family. Bing is eventually able to appease the Bentley ghost with a Chinese offering. He also appeases the ghost of the bones Ba dug up by returning its skull.

It is hard to tell if this book is historical fiction of fantasy. It is set in the Vancouver Chinatown during the early twentieth century; however, the two ghosts and mention of other mystical happenings make me wonder if maybe it’s more of a fantasy story. Adding to the idea that this book is historical fiction is the historical afterword at the end of the book. It gives a true description of the anti-Asian parade and rioting that occurs at the end of the book. This is very helpful because it allows the reader to separate what is fact and what the author made up. Additionally, the author includes a map of Vancouver at the time the book takes place. It was helpful being able to visualize where the action occurs.

I read some reviews of the book online, and they were all mostly more positive than I felt about the book. I thought there were too many characters. Because I have little prior knowledge about the Chinese culture and Chinese names, it was difficult for me to separate all of the characters. Additionally, many characters had nicknames that I found difficult to follow. I was also not so impressed by the ending. The action of the parade and rioting was difficult to follow. It seemed odd to me that the rioters just stopped suddenly and it was over. Reading the historical afterword put the story into perspective, however, since it mentions that the rioters quickly left Chinatown for Japantown.

I did really enjoy the infusion of Chinese culture into the story. The Chinese characters on the book cover and each new chapter page were neat to look at. They’re so pretty, and I don’t often see the characters written on paper. Additionally, I enjoyed all of the mentions of mysticism, like when Bing visits the Fortuneteller seeking advice on how to get the bones’ ghost to leave his father alone.

Although many aspects of this book were confusing and difficult to follow, it was a good, scary, Chinese ghost story. The theme of self-conflict in growing up is applicable world-wide. Younger adolescent readers can see themselves in Bing’s struggle to not feat the ghosts. He also grows up in forgiving his father for his having gambled away all of the family’s money and for his job as a bone collector. Readers universally can relate to Bing’s struggle in some way or another.