The expression of not making old bones refers to an unlikeliness of surviving to old age. Author Ira Dawson borrows the expression from his mother’s chidings as the title of his memoir This Boy Will Never Make Old Bones.
Throughout, it’s clear that Dawson, a plumber by trade, has, indeed, cheated death many times during his years as an Australian ex-patriate living first in Madagascar and then in the Solomon Islands with his wife.
His adventures are harrowing and plentiful, from near-miss plane crashes to being saved from an imminent shark attack by a school of dolphins to surviving a cyclone, an earthquake, countless death threats, and the village hospital being overtaken by armed warriors. There’s a touch of mysticism in Dawson’s recounting as he navigates a remote, primitive world far outside his comfort zone. Some things remain unexplained, he concludes.
His experiences are fascinating and the writing crisp. Still, it can be slow going at first, and there’s an odd sense of detachment even as he chronicles a rich life. The storytelling could be more tightly focused on a stronger narrative theme.
By far, the book’s strength lies in his passages about encounters with an enclave of cannibals and its leader Silas. Dawson writes about pushing past fear to bring much-needed supplies to desperate people. In doing so, an improbable connection is forged and a deep friendship blossoms, proving that despite vast differences people are much the same.
There’s a lovely moment when Dawson takes an Australian high commissioner to meet the cannibals, who entertain them with music created from primitive instruments. “Where did they ever hear this beat they are playing?” the official whispered to Dawson. “…Perhaps they invented rock and roll, and civilization has just caught up with them.” Dawson’s engaged writing of his relationship with Silas feels almost cinematic.
Despite some meandering, this compelling memoir will make readers happy that his mother’s warning about “old bones” didn’t come true.
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