The Bee Sting: A review as I read

At this point, I am not finished. I have recently returned to the narrative perspective of Cass.

11.09.2024 Review

As with most books, I do not read their synopsis or reviews before I delve in. I saw The Bee Sting advertised in a local café as one of their book winners for a competition. You could purchase this book from the barrister. The title is what caught my eye, for I have a weakness for bees. Little did I know…

Cass starts The Bee Sting. We learn a lot about her and her family. She is characterised as quite easily influenced by a friend who she looks up to, and I suppose she is in her rebel period of life. It is just before her most crucial exams before college. Yet, rather than study she follows her friends lead. We learn there is a turn in her family situation, and natural disasters that come with this. At this point, I feel torn between frustrated by this characters lack of self, but also concerned for her parents seem to take no notice as she continues to almost obsess over her friend. From this, we also learn that Cass may not even be who she thinks she is.

To my surprise, I was then presented with PJ’s perspective. I found this fun, at first. The writer captured the younger brother characterisation through brilliant word choices and sentences. His list on Cass after she does something; his language relating to games; his internal panic; and his want to be listened to. But, then I sensed danger. Lots of danger. I couldn’t help but notice that the parents had similarly ignored PJ as much as Cass, and I was reading about his life falling apart when he got into trouble. Then, I felt like he was getting himself into even more trouble with his ‘friend’, someone he never met. This chapter raised a lot of red flags, and I felt so terrible for PJ.

Interestingly, from the perspectives of the children, the mother is characterised as a goddess in appearance, but neglectful and harsh in personality. Yet, we are offered a different perspective as we are taken back to her childhood. I will not spoil it, but Imelda came from many hardships and she was in love with another. Here, we see a soft side of her, pure and concerned with rules and religion. Her own mother had caused trauma and low self-esteem from her comments, and Imelda was poor and with little education.

Her beauty is what attracted attention and admiration, and how her first love noticed her. She did not give her full self to this boy, even though she loved him. But she ended up with Dickie, ‘stung by a bee’, and we learn about her feelings towards him and how she treats him. We go through highs and lows with Imelda. We see softness, and almost like a defence, she says something cruel and not entirely what she was thinking.

But Dickie’s chapter shocked me the most. I didn’t think it was possible that this book can have more twists. But oh, up until now he was characterised as a meek intellectual guy. Quiet, pushed around by his wife, and his children paying him no mind. He seemed to be drowning in pressure as he failed to run his father’s company, and consequently sink his family under shame and threats. But, Dickie… Dickie… Dickie… What can I say? No Spoilers for this one. Imelda saved the day, for now.

An now I am back to Cass, who, rescued by her grandfather, made it to college.

17.09.2024 Review – Finished

The ending is not one that I enjoy. I felt that it was coming and I was disappointed to be correct.

However, I found it interesting that the tone of voice and even the narrative voice had changed when Cass went to college. Rather than using her name, it is almost as though Cass is reflecting on her development as ‘you’ is used now. Interestingly, this had me questioning whether Cass and Elaine are one person given that Cass does anything to please Elaine.

From henceforth, the chapters are shorter and the pace speeds up. We are offered varying perspectives from the Barnes family and near the end a few more to spice the tension. But, reflecting on what I had read, I believe the end was rushed and lost the excitement that was built near the first half. The shift in focus on Dicky had grabbed the narrative pull away from the deep emotional characterisation of everyone else. Sure, I felt the danger of what was coming, but I also feel that I am missing unanswered questions.

The Bee Sting itself is a symbol. It can be unpacked in many ways. One may be the secret lives each person has, even in a family. We as readers first believe what everyone else does, before we encounter the truth so close to the end. It may even be the catalyst to their downfall, so long ago as Dicky encounters the truth before everyone else. Their marriage had already started with lies, secrets, and impulsive decisions.

Overall, the writing was exciting and well formulated. I was invested in the characters, particularly PJ, and enjoyed the layering of perspective on similar timelines.