"The Bones Beneath My Skin" by TJ Klune

An audio book.

1995. Nate, 27, hasn't seen his parents for years. His father chucked him out for being gay. Now his father's killed himself and his mother, leaving Nate a cabin and a truck. He drives to the cabin to think about his life. He's lost his journalism job in Washington. An armed ex-marine, Alex, and a 10 y.o. girl, Art, have broken in. The girl can read fast, has never eaten bacon or seen toast, and may have special powers. She asks Nate direct questions that Nate sometimes finds therapeutic. She often speaks using phrases from Westerns - the books she's read. Nate wonders whether they're on the run. He fancies Alex and wonders whether the feeling's reciprocated. He manages to phone ex-colleague Ruth Davis, asking her for info about missing persons. Alex disappeared 10 years ago - some kind of secret soldier. The FBI arrive, describing the girl as an "it", saying that it's a test to see how the "it" would react to someone like Alex. The 3 of them escape despite roadblocks and helicopters.

20 years before, Art had landed on Earth, and started a symbiotic association with a man. The man was captured. Then Art transferred to the body of a brain-dead girl. Alex is helping Art to return home - Art's sure their race will return. The aliens only wanted humans to know that they are never alone. Nate wants the same message. Art is concerned about how Alex will cope when Art goes. Art lets Nate see into Alex's mind. Alex tells Nate he's bisexual.

We then get the story about Art's incarceration, how Alex (weakened by grief) was used in a test to see if Art could control people. Alex helped Art escape.

A comet has appeared. They track down Peter, the man who was Art's first host. He's started a Vegan community. He sees Art, a girl possessed by the being who once possessed him. He's a cult leader. He poisons his followers and drugs Nate and Alex, forcing them to play a Russian Roulette game until Art agrees to take him and his followers onto her mother ship. They manage to kill Peter. The FBI have found them. They escape thanks to Art's psychokinetic powers. The aliens arrive to take her away. She decides to stay.

17 years later: they've been living with new identities. The aliens arrive again. This time Art goes.

The mix of genres (including comedy) is entertaining. I like the opportunities that SF offers for the exploration of grief and love - how much does the body matter? How much can one know about an other? How many dates are tests or manipulations? Art seems like an autistic person learning about love.

Other reviews

• booksbonesbuffy (Klune explores several heavy themes, like family and belonging, and loss and grief, but also what it means to be human.)
• whatisquinnreading
• Annie Mills (Unfortunately, as the characters drive the story, the plot and the action take a backseat. It moves slowly at first; the characters spend a lot of time meandering around the cabin and sharing quiet, intimate moments together before they finally find a reason to leave or explain the truth behind what’s going on. That slow pace can feel frustrating at times, and it takes quite a while for the novel to really find its feet. ... The fact of the matter is, The Bones Beneath My Skin doesn’t have quite the same shine as some of the author’s later books. It’s a little messier and less refined.)
• Chris Kluwe
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene (There’s also beautiful LGBTQ+ representation, not just through the m/m romance, but through the gentle way the story affirms identity. The idea that people have the right to choose who they are and what they’re called is treated with quiet respect, and it adds another layer of warmth and acceptance to the story.)
• haleysbookhaven.com (the chemistry between Nate and Alex was severely lacking. They were bonded by proximity and their mutual fatherly love for Artemis, but I didn’t get the sense that if they’d met in more ordinary circumstances that they would have fallen in love. Art was the glue that held them together, and without her I suspect they’d eventually fall apart. ... How do you grieve a parent who committed such a crime as to kill your other parent? These questions are only ever briefly touched on. By not exploring them, Klune did a disservice to Nate’s character and the book itself. The plot of this novel is predictable and a lot of the time it’s meandering as well. That isn’t to say it isn’t entertaining, though. This is a cozy book, but there are also moments of darkness and tension and crazy action scenes, too.)