The Thread That Binds the Bones

Despite being tragically out of print this has consistently been one of my favorite books since I first read it in the early '90's. Tom Renifeld is a drifter whose strange abilities force him to move from place to place in an attempt to remain annonymous. Laura Bolte has used her gifts to disappear into the world of fashion photography, secure in the knowledge that her unusual family will never pick up a copy of Vogue or Cosmo and see her smiling face. But now Laura's brother is getting married at the family home and Tom is the cabbie on duty at the bus station. These two unlikely allies must stand together against Laura's family and try to unpick the tangles that have twisted it out of true.

Tom Renfield, janitor-cum-taxi driver, has always had some weird abilities - seeing ghosts, perceiving other 'currents' of energy... but he's always tried to ignore them. Running from himself seems to be a large part of how he ended up in the tiny town of Arcadia. However, when he picks up a beautiful model from the big city in his taxi and sets off to take her to her brother's wedding at an obscure house in the woods, little does he know what he's in for. Laura's extended family are an ancient clan of witches(?) who make a habit of terrorizing and enslaving the townspeople. However, that doesn't stop Tom from instantly falling in love with her. With the help of a ghost, things are about to get shaken up in the town of Arcadia...

Loved it! I am a huge fan of this author. As usual, there are quite some psychological issues that lie at the heart of the story. I was slightly disappointed that Tom was taking center stage so much during the first three quarters of the book. Laura only starts using her magic more at the end and is in need of help a lot in the beginning. With Tom being new to the whole magic thing, this seems a bit off.

Second review:
I gave this 5 stars the first time around, but I think that is a bit too much. I like the psychology that Hoffman puts in her work, but everything does come very easy to Tom, with him hopping around everywhere and saving everyone. I find his character to be a bit bland, he's just a decent person with a backstory.

I'd enjoyed some later novels by Hoffman and decided to check out this earlier one. It's a tiny bit Larry Sueish with the main character becoming the most magical person in the room all of a sudden, but the story has enough originality to overcome it and even as a subway read, I couldn't wait to get back to it.

Where have you been?

How did I not read this years ago?!? I’ve read other books from this series but never this one.

This is what good urban fantasy looks like. Magic is there and it changes how things work, but the story is deeper than the magic.

Very nicely written--Hoffman's a stylist. The premise is pretty much Zenna Henderson's The People gone bad, which is intriguing. Very readable, but I felt it skimpy in parts. Not that I wanted an explanation or backstory for the Family, or why they have Clearly Symbolic Surnames, but that the baddy was such a shadowy figure until the end, and it seemed the other characters were overlooking the source of the problem (which was perhaps established too early, or I'm too quick at guessing). Also I didn't really feel afraid for the hero; his powers were so mutable and adaptable I felt sure they'd rise to the occasion.
I enjoyed it, and I'd read other books by her, but it did make me wonder if she was held back by wordcount limits or other show more considerations. show less

The plot's a little slender for all of the page count, and the tone is a bit didactic. Everybody set up from the beginning to become a villain was just misguided and misunderstood. Yes, really. The sole confrontation with the actual villain takes up the last forty pages and two chapters, and then, just when I'm starting to flip the pages along at a merry clip, the story ENDS. ARGH.

I enjoyed this a lot, but it felt more like a long prologue than a proper novel to me. And I started eyerolling hard after about the third time Tom repeated verbally the mental conversation he had with Peregrine two lines earlier.

Tentatively recommended?