Review of “The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane,” by Polly Horvath

“The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane,” by Polly Horvath is the story of two girls who build a plane out of broken pieces that they collect.

When a train accident leaves Meline and Jocelyn parentless, the two teenage cousins must go live with their eccentric uncle on his private island. Uncle Marten’s unusual island was once used as a training place for pilots and the shattered pieces of wrecked airplanes can be found hidden in the brush. When Meline and Jocelyn decide to rebuild one of the planes it turns into a project with more consequences than they originally intended.

Polly Horvath’s novel is told using alternating voices, allowing the reader to understand the story’s events from different perspectives. The strong point of “The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane” is its unusual and intriguing characters. Uncle Marten’s island comes to be populated by a variety of strange people who each have secrets and hidden pasts. Unfortunately, the book’s plot lacks a satisfying aim or conclusion. Ultimately, the book is about how the girls cope with their parent’s death, but along the way the story tends to meander from event to event. In addition, the bulk of the stories mysteries are all revealed in the last ten pages of the book. After the slow progress of the plot, this whirlwind ending is rather disappointing.

Overall “The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane” is a fairly entertaining book, though its not among the best that I’ve ever read.

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