Near the Bone by Christina Henry: Summary and Study Guide

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Quick Facts

• Author: Christina Henry

• Publication Year: 2021

• Genre: Horror

• Setting: An isolated mountain wilderness

• Narrator: Third-person limited, following Mattie

• Main Characters: Mattie (Samantha Hunter), William, C.P., Jen, Griffin, and the creature

• Central Conflict: A captive woman must escape her abusive captor while surviving a mysterious predator that stalks the mountain.

Short Summary

Near the Bone follows Mattie, a young woman held captive on a remote mountain by William, a religiously fanatical man who has renamed her and erased her past. When a strange, intelligent creature begins stalking the woods, leaving warning symbols and collecting bones in a cave, Mattie's isolated world is disrupted. The arrival of three cryptozoologists—Griffin, C.P., and Jen—forces a confrontation that reveals Mattie's true identity as Samantha Hunter, a girl kidnapped as a child after William murdered her mother. As the creature attacks the group one by one, Mattie must navigate both the wilderness and William's violent control. Her journey becomes a struggle to recover her suppressed memories, reclaim her name, and escape the mountain before both predators—human and animal—destroy her.

Full Summary

Near the Bone opens with Mattie checking snares near a creek, where she discovers a dead fox and a strange, oversized track in the snow. The track is unlike any bear print she knows, and the creature's presence unsettles her. When she returns to the cabin, William strikes her for being late, and later forces her to lead him to the fox. They follow the enormous rear-paw prints through the forest until the tracks abruptly stop in a clearing, with claw marks high on a tree trunk. A strange, unidentifiable cry sounds, and they find a fresh pool of blood with no remains. That night, Mattie considers fleeing but believes the townspeople would return her to William, so she stays at the window until dawn.

The next day, William decides to track the creature, worried it may raid their storehouse. He orders Mattie to accompany him, lamenting that he has no son. This reminds her of three lost pregnancies and the beating that left her arm permanently damaged. They climb to a meadow with caves, and at one entrance Mattie smells decay and vomits. William attacks her, accusing her of hiding a pregnancy, and threatens her with 'The Box.' Inside the cave, they find bear prints and piles of bones sorted by type—skulls, ribs, leg bones—from many animals. They also discover a pile of rotting organs. William admits no animal acts this way, and Mattie hears the strange cry again.

In the cave, Mattie warns William that the creature is approaching. They take cover behind a boulder, but instead of the creature, a stranger emerges from the trees. The stranger is taking photographs and remarks that Mattie looks familiar. William lies about their origins and becomes hostile, pulling Mattie away. He threatens to shoot the stranger, but Mattie persuades him not to, citing the risk of search parties. On the path back, she sees animal corpses hanging from trees, which triggers a memory of a Christmas stocking with the name Samantha. She whispers that name, and William, enraged, beats her until she loses consciousness.

Mattie wakes being dragged through snow by William. Her left eye is swollen shut, and her throat is bruised from choking. He kicks her, orders her to walk home alone, and abandons her when she cannot stand. Recalling her former identity as Samantha, who once ran from William and was punished in the Box, she forces herself upright, moving from tree to tree while following his footprints. As the sun sets, she reaches a stream and considers following it down the mountain to escape, but the creature emerges downstream and settles to sleep, blocking her path. She remains motionless until it leaves, then wades across the stream and starts along the deer path toward the cabin. A branch breaks nearby, and she realizes the creature is still close.

Fleeing the creature, Mattie reaches the cabin only to find the door locked. Despite her cries, William does not open it. She hides in the outhouse as the creature approaches, but it leaves without attacking. At dawn, she finds claw marks in the snow forming symbols, which she understands as a warning to stay away from its lair. William emerges, accuses her of witchcraft, but she convinces him the marks are from the creature. He orders her to wash and cook breakfast. William then announces he will go to town to obtain traps and a larger rifle, believing the creature is a demon sent by God to test him. He restricts her to the cabin with limited food and cleaning duties. Mattie realizes William is insane and decides to exploit his mistake of leaving her outside.

While William locks himself in the bedroom to access a secret trunk, Mattie realizes she needs the money inside to escape but cannot break the lock yet. After William leaves for town, two men arrive—the stranger from the previous day, Griffin, and his friend C.P. They examine the creature's tracks and symbols in the snow. Mattie opens the window to warn them. They identify themselves as cryptozoologists. She describes the cave full of sorted bones and organs, and the creature's warning. Griffin asks if William abandoned her. When they keep suggesting a doctor, Mattie angrily insists they leave and slams the window shut.

After hiding from the strangers, Mattie feels guilty but stays inside. In a dream, she remembers William climbing through her childhood window. She wakes to him carrying her to bed and making a disturbing comment about sons. The next morning, she sees his arsenal: grenades, a large rifle, and a trap. William plans to set the trap, bomb the caves, and shoot the creature. He drains and stitches her swollen eye. She wonders about the source of his money and considers the locked trunk. He leaves with the trap on a sled, whistling.

After William leaves to set a trap, Mattie examines the locked trunk but cannot open it. She finds a roll of money in William's pants pocket and hides it beneath the couch. William returns, announcing the trap is set and plans to dig pits. He speaks of God rewarding him with sons. He brings bread and cheese from the storehouse, leaving it unlocked. Mattie recalls childhood memories and her real name, Samantha. She decides to take food from the storehouse for her escape. She makes William a sandwich as cover, goes outside, inspects the pit he dug, and follows his tracks to confirm he is far away. She then hears voices.

Mattie hides in the trees and watches William confront Griffin, C.P., and their friend Jen on the path. William threatens them, claiming the mountain is his. Griffin says he'll report William for how he treats his wife, enraging William, who strikes Griffin with a shovel. Mattie runs out to intervene, urging the strangers to flee. Griffin recognizes Mattie as Samantha Hunter, a missing person. William threatens to kill anyone who speaks. Mattie realizes William will kill the strangers and steps between them; William strikes her with the shovel, cutting her head, then chokes her, revealing he killed her mother. Griffin hits William with the shovel, and Jen strikes him with a rock. The group flees, with C.P. carrying Mattie. They rest at boulders, where Jen tends to Mattie's wound. C.P. suggests hiding in caves, but Mattie warns them about the creature. The creature roars nearby, and C.P. records the sound, wanting to see it.

Mattie warns the group that the creature will hunt them because they entered its cave. She suggests she stay behind to draw William away while the others fetch police, but Jen refuses. They hear a third roar, and Mattie realizes the creature is hurt, possibly caught in William's bear trap. They hear a human cry of agony, likely William being attacked, and decide not to help him. Continuing east, they hit a cliff drop-off and argue about direction; Mattie panics at shouting, and Jen and C.P. apologize. They decide to follow the cliff east, hoping to find a way down. Griffin is barely conscious. Mattie senses the creature is near and warns them to be quiet. She spots the creature's eyes in the trees above. She urges them to go, and they move, dragging Griffin. As she turns to follow, she realizes there are two sets of eyes watching them.

Mattie and the others flee along the cliffside, hearing a rifle shot they believe comes from William. C.P. insists they stop to rest, and they set up among boulders, wrapping the unconscious Griffin in a space blanket. C.P. shares food, and Mattie selects a chocolate bar, which triggers memories of her childhood and causes her to weep. They discuss news coverage of her disappearance; C.P. says the news implied she was dead and made no mention of her sister Heather. Suddenly, an enormous creature with shiny claws emerges from the trees, grabs Griffin, and pulls him over the boulders into the forest. Jen and C.P. want to chase after him, but Mattie urges them to run. C.P. suggests going to William's cabin to gather weapons. Mattie initially refuses but then agrees, hoping to break open William's trunk for answers about her past.

Mattie, Jen, and C.P. reach the stream sooner than expected. They hide their packs among boulders and climb into the trees, with Mattie struggling in her heavy skirts. C.P. searches for tracks of the creature that took Griffin, and he and Jen argue about what kind of cryptid it might be. Mattie urges them onward, and they walk through the woods until they reach the stream's clearing. After listening for William and hearing nothing, they cross the stream on rocks. Mattie leads them along the bank to the rabbit snares, where two dead rabbits hang. They follow the deer path toward the cabin, but Jen steps into a bear trap William set, which snaps shut on her leg below the knee. C.P. frees her by standing on the trap's springs. Jen is badly wounded and cannot walk well. C.P. says he will go after Griffin with Mattie's help, and she agrees. Then they hear the sound of someone limping through the snow from the direction of the stream, and Mattie whispers that it is William.

Mattie, Jen, and C.P. hurry toward the cabin, hearing William's dragging footsteps behind them. They reach the cabin, Mattie locks the door, and they block the door with a chair. William arrives, demands she open the door, accuses her of sin, and sits on the porch. Jen collapses, and they cover her with a blanket. They search the bedroom, find a loaded rifle, ammunition, and grenades. C.P. takes the rifle and says he knows how to shoot. They discuss escape but are trapped. Mattie hears tapping at the bedroom window and recalls a memory of William killing her mother and taking her. The creature roars, and screaming begins.

Griffin's screams draw C.P. to the window, but Mattie blocks the door, refusing to let him outside. C.P. accuses her of cowardice, blaming her for their danger. William fires a rifle at the creature, then all goes silent. The creature smashes the front window, briefly revealing its claws before vanishing. C.P. and Mattie move the unconscious Jen to the bed and cover her with quilts. C.P. mentions cell phones; Mattie recalls her mother was a waitress at an all-night diner. Mattie discovers a human heart on the table—left by the creature as a warning—and throws it out the window. She covers the broken window with a quilt and lights a fire. C.P. makes grilled cheese sandwiches; Mattie cries, remembering her mother cooking similar meals for her.

In the cabin, Mattie and C.P. eat and talk while Jen remains unconscious. Mattie is exhausted, and they arrange sleeping spots: C.P. in the bed with Jen, Mattie on the couch. C.P. checks Jen, finding her pulse slow and body cold. Mattie feels resentment but then shame. As she settles by the fire, the narrative shifts to a flashback of Mattie as a child named Sam. William takes her from her home at night, and she wakes in his truck. He tells her to forget her mother and sister, and hits her when she disobeys. At a rest stop, he forces her into the men's room and warns that he will kill anyone she speaks to. A young couple sees them, but Sam stays silent. William then locks her in a trunk in the truck bed.

Mattie wakes remembering William once locked her in a trunk. She resolves to leave the mountain that day. With C.P., she ventures outside, finding William's limping tracks, giant paw prints, and blood in the snow; the creature's heart is gone. Following the tracks into the woods, they discover Griffin hanging from a tree, eviscerated. They return to the cabin, then raid the storehouse, finding a hidden stock of food William never shared. After breakfast, Mattie reveals the $2,517 she hid from William. C.P. explains her disappearance case is famous—she is Samantha Hunter. When she asks about her sister Heather, he recalls nothing. Mattie then shows him the Box, a coffin-like trapdoor space where William imprisoned her. She breaks down weeping. C.P. closes the trapdoor, and they resolve to leave, planning to use a sled to transport the injured Jen.

Mattie checks on Jen, who remains unconscious. She cuts off her long hair, which William had insisted she keep. C.P. finds William's keys in the snow, including a vehicle key. Using the keys, Mattie opens William's locked trunk, discovering packets of heroin, stacks of cash, and newspaper clippings about a missing girl and a murder. She recognizes herself in the clippings and sees a photo of her mother. She takes money and the keys, tying them around her neck. They load Jen onto a sled and set off. They find a reset trap with a poisoned squirrel, concluding William poisoned the trap, likely affecting Jen. The woods fall silent, and the creature attacks, snatching Jen from the sled. They flee to the stream. C.P. insists on retrieving Griffin's camera and pack from the boulders. They return, C.P. transfers items, then a rifle shot fires and C.P. falls.

William ambushes Mattie in the woods, having found her abandoned bags. He is severely wounded from the creature's earlier attack, with claw gashes across his leg, torso, and face, one eye sealed shut. He insists she is his wife and must submit. Mattie denies this, asserting her real name is Samantha. She backs toward a cliff edge, dodges his grab, and pushes him over the cliff, killing him. She finds C.P. alive with a shoulder wound and bandages it. They take William's rifle and head toward the stream, where they discover Jen's mutilated body hanging from a tree. The creature attacks again, severing C.P.'s hand and taking the rifle. Mattie binds the wound and helps him walk. They reach a road, find William's truck, and drive down the mountain. Mattie realizes there are two creatures—a parent and offspring. They arrive at a state troopers' barracks, where C.P. collapses. Mattie enters and gives her name as Samantha.

Main Characters

• Mattie (Samantha Hunter): A young woman held captive and renamed by William, who gradually recovers her true identity as Samantha Hunter, a missing person kidnapped as a child after William killed her mother.

• William: Mattie's abusive captor who poses as her husband, a religiously fanatical man who killed her mother, kidnapped her as a child, and keeps her isolated on the mountain through violence and control.

• C.P.: A cryptozoologist who arrives on the mountain with Jen and Griffin to investigate the creature, becomes Mattie's ally in escaping, and survives to the end despite losing a hand to the creature.

• Jen: A.