The Bee Sting: A Novel

Started Paul Murray's The Bee Sting back at the end of March, then set it down for a month or so while I read other things ... only to pick it up again and finish it in a whirlwind reading session that saw me knock out the entire second half in a day. It's now nearly two am, and I'm slowly beginning to come out of this whole "What?!?" mindspace that this book has thrown me into. 643 pages, over 300 of which I inhaled like a bag of Totino's pizza rolls (with ranch), and it's nearly impossible to discuss because everything hinges on spoilers.And I mean everything. The title, every plot thread, each bit of standout narrative that made my readerly ears perk up like little grey squirrels ... there isn't a bit of it where I can't say, "Oh, that relates to this," or "that reveals that," or "that hints at this and connects to these over here..." Which, to me, is a sign of a truly exceptional novel.Murray has taken what he sees as the virtues and vices of humanity and swirled them into the epic saga of a single Irish family as they individually struggle through their deeply personal issues following the economic crash that has sent them all into crisis. Dickie, the father, and his obsession in building a doomsday shelter in the woods behind their home despite the fact that the family business he's been left to manage is tanking; Imelda, Dickie's wife, stuck in a marriage she doesn't want to be in, selling off the family's assets just to be able to keep them afloat; daughter Cass whose friendship with the narcissistic Elaine has her struggling with alcoholism, her sexuality, and the path her future will take; and precocious little P.J., the frequent target of bullies, whose fears of being sent off to a boarding school has him making plans to disappear. The novel takes turns focusing on each character's narrative, oftentimes overlapping them, allowing us to experience those pivotal moments in each life that have led to its current crisis. I'm not usually a fan of familial dramas, but the characters in The Bee Sting were so completely realized that stepping away from the novel is like saying "goodbye" to a group of people that you've come to know on the most intimate of levels.What really makes this one stand out for me, however, are the control and expertise with which Paul Murray has woven this story. What appears as reality to one character will be shown as something else entirely when relayed through another character, giving the entire narrative intricate layers of reveals that feel almost like a puzzle gradually filling itself in. Add to this a multitude of plot threads that, at first encounter, seem like just one-off anecdotes, but turn out to be pivotal in filling in the gaps, giving the novel a refreshing sense of completeness that I've found lacking in much fiction lately. And even though there's a moment within The Bee Sting's 600-plus pages where Murray, through a side character's oration, spells out the novel's main themes, there is still so much left for the reader to unpack, so much open to interpretation that it begs to be discussed. Which I'd love to do here, but I can't. Because of spoilers. But rest assured, this novel does have something to say -- about love, about sacrifice, about trauma, good and evil, humanity and nature -- and it says it so well.Which is why I told Constance she has to read it immediately. I wanna be in the room with her when she gets to the last page.

Very Beautiful writing! That’s the good news. The characters are real and the writer gets into each one’s psychology . One begins to care about each of them very much. The writing style varies somewhat for each which I found very interesting And as others have pointed out, for one character, some punctuation is eliminated. Periods are eliminated, but capital letters remain. I don’t think it worked however because it slowed down my reading, and sometimes made my eyes just quickly scan over the page without actually reading it. Some of the sections go on for too long. I am sure the book could’ve been shorter and just as effective.The ending was disappointing, although it was very obvious early on that it was coming. I have never been a fan of an ending that is ambiguous. The ending presented yet another writing style. Pretty interesting experimentI noticed that most people who dislike the book didn’t really finish it so I wouldn’t take those reviews too seriously. I think it’s worth reading, although it is not a book that I would ever consider rereading

“How did it come to this? You look back at the past and you can’t tell where exactly you went wrong. Was it a single misstep?” (p601)This book is like a freight train that needs a lot of time to get up to speed. Once it gets going, though, it’s powerful, dangerous, and unstoppable.The story is compelling, intricate, and creative. Murray’s craftsmanship shines. He does a spectacular job of peeling the onion: casual asides early in the book introduce events or people that become important later – then central, then reaching the level of wow-I-didn’t-see-that-coming. He often revisits scenes that you thought you understood to add surprising new layers and twists. The lengthy climax is brilliant – a frenetic, breathless collision of characters and storylines and unfinished business.Despite all this, however, the novel didn’t work for me. I couldn’t connect emotionally with the characters, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to take from the book. It’s certainly clear that regrets and second thoughts constitute a major theme, and much of the narrative is a commentary on deception (including self-deception), manipulation, control, abuse, and power. But what is the book about? Deep into the book a character makes a public speech that felt to me like the beginning of a (somewhat artificial) “big reveal” regarding the author’s primary messages. But the subsequent narrative felt disconnected from the content of that speech. So I’m still at a loss.I need to get one specific complaint off my chest. Early in the book (p6) I encountered a surprising, gratuitous, and (in my view) tone-deaf clause that compares a clothing sale to slave markets. It made me wince. I wish I could say it served a purpose in the narrative, but I don’t see evidence of that. At best, I think it was an unfortunate mistake that should not have survived the editorial process.

Very intriguing plot. Beautifully descriptive phrases throughout. Fabulous character development. Don’t miss this book. It is truly a great read.

Structurally this novel is excellent. The characters are well drawn out. But it is very depressing. The stream of consciousness sections representing Imelda’s thoughts are difficult without punctuation, had to reread some parts.

An entertaining, well crafted, whirlwind of a family saga. Easily one of the best books I've read this year. It looks long, but the pages just fly by

Witty, makes you feel all kinds of things, the characters are perfectly built and you can’t tell what’s coming next. My new favorite book.

Tutto è andato come previsto

Dickie takes over the family business after the death of his brother. But his dad and his customers don' t trust him. Moreover his private life interfere with his professional life.A very good description of the characters.A very good book.

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