Leaving the Bones Behind

Leaving the Bones Behind is a poignant, thought-provoking, and utterly compelling new novel that symbolically merges one man’s struggle with the moral ambiguity of cutting-edge science. First-time novelist Gary Watson creates a narrative tapestry from the threads of a dozen seemingly unconnected characters, all of whom are linked by their experiences with Alzheimer’s or their own brand of psychological annihilation. Readers will be hooked from the very first page…but nothing will prepare them for the astonishing conclusion! (editorial review)

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What do you think?

Let Gary know what you think about his book.

Reader Comments

My editor, Jessica Smith, completed her work and the final manuscript left my hands on April 22, 2009. It took me nearly three winter seasons to craft the story and bring Leaving the Bones Behind to a final conclusion. During that time I recorded comments from my editor and my other outside readers, Sheryl Hershey and Cindy Easley, all of whom are acknowledged in the book. For writers, these comments are part of the fuel that keeps the engine running. I was also blessed with one more behind the scenes weapon—and one not quoted. Deborah, my wife and best friend, made enormous contributions through the entire writing process, from moments after the idea for the story was conceived and until the last words closed the final chapter of my story.

I am offering these preliminary comments to help other people, who cherish the value of the written word, decide whether they would like to choose this book from a first time author.

I really liked the human scenes (like Alison bathing her father; Oliver’s notes to himself in an attempt to remember important things like birthdays, anniversaries, and vows; Macwan’s accounts of the humiliations of life in the slums; etc.). They are one of the story’s greatest strengths. Great job!

“I am what I was, he thought”—Wow, nicely done! Very insightful.

I think the book is on a subject matter that will strike a chord with many readers, particularly as the baby boomer population ages. I think the fear of memory loss (and the resulting loss of identity) is a fear that many people will relate to. I think it's a solid book….

I do think Fiction Suspense is a good choice for genre. Other possibilities would be Fiction Medical or Fiction Thriller. At times it felt like reading a Michael Crichton-esque take on a Nicholas Sparks story, sort of like "The Notebook" meets "Jurassic Park." This really is a balancing act: not enough of the technical would make the scientific parts unbelievable, and not enough of the human element would make the whole story difficult to relate to. I think one of the greatest strengths of the book is how well you’ve woven these two elements, the technical and the human, together.

I think you did a great job with characterization. There are a lot of important characters, but you did a good job giving them depth and motivation. I think you did a good job with pacing. You have a number of concurrent and interrelated storylines and major characters, and you do a good job of alternating between the various threads at appropriate intervals. Much of the subject matter is complex, but you explained the technical information well. The storyline unfolds at an even pace with no major leaps or lags.

I think you also did a good job of changing the tone to match the personalities of the various characters. For example, scenes written from Jake’s point of view carried his unique tone, as did scenes from Chiyoko’s point of view and from Oliver’s. Overall you did a great job with the dialogue! And Chiyoko—God what an evil woman!

I love that you include things like notes, journal entries, and news stories, and press releases.

Wow, I love it…Carl had been on autopilot ever since his electronic pal alerted him that his two o’clock would be forty-five minutes late. Carl’s online Web calendar recognized the delay would make it impossible for him to reach the lodge on time. Automatically, his calendar service tapped into online reservations to rearrange his afternoon schedule to ensure on-time arrival. An appointment of lesser priority shifted one week into the future. His last incoming message alerted him that his notification of apology had been received. For the moment, at least, everything tracked again; his life was balanced, chronologically. I so need one of those devices!