| Title | The Bee Sting |
| Author | Paul Murray |
| Copyright | 2023 |
| Type | Fiction |
| Length | 685 pages |
| Finished Reading | July 24, 2024 |
| Notable | NY Times: 10 Best Books of 2023 Washington Post: 10 Best Books of 2023 Short listed for the 2023 Booker Prize An Amazon Best Book of August 2023 |
| Ratings | Personal: 4 Stars Amazon: 3.8 Stars (14,279 ratings) Goodreads: 4.0 Stars (56,323 ratings) |
The Bee Sting is a beautifully written, tragic novel that follows the four members of an Irish family over a few months. Dickie is the husband/father, Imelda is the wife/mother; Cass is their teenage daughter and PJ is their pre-Teen son. At first it seems as though the tension flows from their failing VW dealership during a downturn in the economy; but slowly, step by step many other fissures appear.
Each chapter is written in third person and focuses the viewpoint of one of the family members. We only know what the character knows. We start to piece things together and understand more than the individuals. But the puzzle pieces – seen as discrete issues – only serve to confuse the individuals- especially the kids.
Zargham wavers, breath huffing from his nose. Then he says, I don’t think my mam wants us to be friends any more. A little dagger in PJ’s heart. Because of the Ears thing? I don’t know. That. Other stuff. [Page 122]
We know as little as PJ does. We begin to see that “the other stuff” is related to his dad’s business. But as pieces fall in place we realize there is so much more.
In the first chapter we see Cass’s view of her mother, Imelda
“… listening to her was like walking through a blizzard, a storm of frenzied white nothings that left you snow-blind.” [Page 8]
We see that storm close up in a 100 page chapter on Imelda. It is one of the best sections of a book I’ve read in years. We see a stream of consciousness as she is going to her seat an event to fete her father-in-law. As the previous chapter closes her mind is turning back in time…
“… As Dickie reaches down to tug Cass to her feet she turns her back on the stage Gazing through the sea of faces that look in turn through her. A tiny fragment of that old hope alight in her heart. [Page 185]
and we are launched the story of Imelda’s hard childhood and how she came to marry Dickie. The book is almost reading for this chapter alone.
Secrets, ghosts, and happenstance. If only these people had someone they could trust.
Given the novel’s format and approach I have to work to reveal nothing – no spoilers here. I love how we have to work to understand what the underlying issues are and having pieces doled out in little bits. I almost gave this book 5 stars but I guess I’m a sucker for a happier ending. As you can see, this novel has earned raves from across the English novel reading world.
