Bone & Bread is a novel about two sisters. The story is told from the main character Beena’s perspective as an adult. Her mother, father, and most recently her younger sister Sahana has passed leaving only her,her son Quinn, and uncle as her last living relatives. Beena is still reeling over the loss of her younger sister and so is her son (since they were very close), their house has an emptiness to it even though Sadhana never lived at their residence.

The book alternates in the present and past as Beena finds herself revisiting old memories. The time differences were a bit jarring at first when the story starts out, but over the course of a couple of chapters it reads a lot smoother. Sadhana is the more outspoken sister out of the two. She’s very opinionated and outgoing unlike her sister Beena who tends to be quieter and keeps to her self. These stark differences helps to cement their characters and readers see how over time how their clashing personalities, start to put a strain on their relationship as well as certain events.

I enjoyed reading the backstories and the characters feel developed though most of the story takes place in the past. It’s engrossing, and I thought it was very interesting how the author explores the family dynamic and the transition of the sisters lives due to death or life events. On top of the family dynamic, Nalwaz also opens up a powerful discussion on topics such as race separatism, religion, immigration, and mental illness. Instead of taking on so many topics, I wish she had focused on just a few as it felt like she was trying to tackle too much in one story.

While I liked this novel, it was a little too slow-moving for my tastes. Plus the story tended to drag at times. Overall, I still recommend this novel if you like slower-paced, family-centered stories.