Our Numbered Bones: A Novel

From an award-winning children's novelist, an adult debut about a grieving author who heads to rural England for a writer's retreat, only to stumble upon an incredible historical find. As the past and present collide, she'll discover the key to healing her trauma.

Anna, a novelist based in London, feels stuck. Grappling with writer's block and her mother's dementia, she's desperate for a way out, no matter how brief. So, when her editor sends her a link for a winter writer's retreat, Anna jumps for it. The retreat is for struggling writers in need of "space" -- both literal and metaphorical. Anna moves into a small cottage in the middle of nowhere, hoping that she'll leave with a finished novel. However, what Anna really wishes for is to forget. The change in scenery and social and technological isolation only gives her more time inside her anxious mind, as the puzzle pieces of a recent trauma begin to come together. But Anna is still determined to heal.

While walking the wetlands one day, Anna stumbles upon an unusual scene. A woman's body is unearthed from the mud, remarkably preserved over thousands of years. And Anna feels like she knows her face. Soon, a team of archaeologists arrive, and Anna begins to frequent the dig site, growing obsessed with the discovery. As past and present collide, she comes to realize that the body holds the key to reconciling her grief and finding catharsis.

Our Numbered Bones is award-winning children's author Katya Balen's adult debut novel. Moving, lyrical, and imbued with an incredible sense of place, history and nature, it is a powerful story about loss, love, and the ways we can move forward.