But in the cave, the remains of a Neanderthal lay with those of a modern human. It looked like they had died together."

Archaeologist Rosamund Gale has made an amazing discovery in a remote French cave--the remains of a human and a neanderthal seem to have been buried together. She has long espoused the theory that humans and neanderthals had much interaction with each other, and that neanderthals were more advanced than had previously been thought. She hopes that she will find evidence to support her theories as she excavates the site.

The story of the present day excavation, and Rosamund's advancing pregnancy, alternates with the story of a small group of primitive people 40,000 years ago, consisting of Girl, her mother, her brother, and a stray they call Runt. This small group of hunter-gatherers meets annually in the spring with other such small groups. I loved the way the author brings us into the mind of Girl, and we view their lives from the point of view of a pre-historic person.

The book is well-written and brilliantly imagined. I don't know if everything in it is scientifically accurate (apparently the picture at the end of the book is not), but I really didn't care. The only point that bothered me was Rosamund working in her physically grueling job until past her due date, and with extreme physical discomfort. That would not have been me, and it didn't seem realistic. In fact, I much preferred reading the parts about Girl and her family and struggles for survival to reading about the excavation and various bureaucratic struggles in the present day.

3 stars

First line: "They didn't think as much about what was different."

Last line: "We are so much the same. ( )

Ein im Großen und Ganzen gelungenes Buch, das verdeutlicht, dass die grundlegenden Probleme dieselben sind, ganz gleich, mit welchen Härten man als Frau zu kämpfen hat und in welches Leben man hineingeboren worden ist.

Ich muss allerdings zugeben, dass das Buch an mehreren Stellen sehr heftig war und ich es möglicherweise nicht gelesen hätte, wenn mir das vorher bewusst gewesen wäre. ( )

I found this books totally engrossing while I was reading it. It's a terrifically told story. But, if you're looking for insight into what Neanderthals were like, it's not the choice for you. Those in this story are depicted as MUCH more primitive. Think of them as a mash up of other human species.
( )

Perfect little summer read. ( )

I really enjoyed this work of speculative historical fiction. The Girl storyline was brutal, lonesome, and haunting, and I appear to be one of the few readers who also enjoyed the present day interludes. I found they provided a nice break from the tension as well as a break from the one-note women-in-STEM/academia-vs-motherhood portrayals we get in movies like Gravity and Arrival (and, quite frankly, relatable to me in how I might react to my own potential motherhood). ( )