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A review by kba76
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Bee Sting is a sprawling tale focusing on the Barnes family and their lives. Our focus is, primarily, Dickie, Imelda, Cass and PJ but we also learn about other family members as we see them going about their daily lives.
The book is told in separate parts, initially narrated by each family member. We learn that their business - a garage - is in trouble and see the consequences this has for each of the family members.
Twelve year old PJ is not really aware of exactly what is going. He is embarrassed by his growing feet, hiding the bloodied socks to cover up the fact that his new shoes are already too small. He obsesses over completing a particular level on a video game, and when a local thug beats him up because of some bad work done at his father’s garage he tries to sell all his possessions to get the money he needs to pay him.
Cass is a clever young woman, academically able, and just about to sit her final exams. Her best friend, Elaine, seems to be growing apart from her so Cass finds herself spending the run-up to exams drinking. Convinced she’s failed her exams, Cass hides herself at home awaiting her results. Then we see her following in her father’s footsteps as she heads to Dublin to study.
The toughest section to read was Imelda’s because of the lack of punctuation. The stream of consciousness became easier to follow, but it was somewhat inane as we followed her attempts to escape her home life and start again with local footballing hero Frank Barnes. Pretty, but lacking in intelligence, Imelda made the best of her situation…deciding to marry Dickie when his brother is killed in a car crash. As an adult she’s pawning jewellery but has little chance to meaningfully impact the fortunes of her family. Her sole recourse is to get in touch with her father-in-law to ask for help.
When it comes to Dickie’s story is when Murray really fleshes the characters out for us. He has his secrets, and it is these that come back to haunt him in the present. We follow him up to Dublin and are given the opportunity to understand him in more detail. It was hard - for so many reasons - not to feel sympathy for this character, even though he makes some appalling decisions. The present-day Dickie appeared to be suffering a breakdown, running round in the woods preparing for Doomsday. I really wasn’t sure of the significance of all this…and then we move into our final section.
This part of the book frustrated and captivated me in equal measure. We were privy to the thoughts of each of our key characters, and the way it was organised hinted heavily at something significant. I felt the noose tightening round certain characters, and was convinced that we were going to have to witness something awful. But then it ended, with us left none the wiser as to the outcome for each character. A bold move, but rather frustrating!
The book is told in separate parts, initially narrated by each family member. We learn that their business - a garage - is in trouble and see the consequences this has for each of the family members.
Twelve year old PJ is not really aware of exactly what is going. He is embarrassed by his growing feet, hiding the bloodied socks to cover up the fact that his new shoes are already too small. He obsesses over completing a particular level on a video game, and when a local thug beats him up because of some bad work done at his father’s garage he tries to sell all his possessions to get the money he needs to pay him.
Cass is a clever young woman, academically able, and just about to sit her final exams. Her best friend, Elaine, seems to be growing apart from her so Cass finds herself spending the run-up to exams drinking. Convinced she’s failed her exams, Cass hides herself at home awaiting her results. Then we see her following in her father’s footsteps as she heads to Dublin to study.
The toughest section to read was Imelda’s because of the lack of punctuation. The stream of consciousness became easier to follow, but it was somewhat inane as we followed her attempts to escape her home life and start again with local footballing hero Frank Barnes. Pretty, but lacking in intelligence, Imelda made the best of her situation…deciding to marry Dickie when his brother is killed in a car crash. As an adult she’s pawning jewellery but has little chance to meaningfully impact the fortunes of her family. Her sole recourse is to get in touch with her father-in-law to ask for help.
When it comes to Dickie’s story is when Murray really fleshes the characters out for us. He has his secrets, and it is these that come back to haunt him in the present. We follow him up to Dublin and are given the opportunity to understand him in more detail. It was hard - for so many reasons - not to feel sympathy for this character, even though he makes some appalling decisions. The present-day Dickie appeared to be suffering a breakdown, running round in the woods preparing for Doomsday. I really wasn’t sure of the significance of all this…and then we move into our final section.
This part of the book frustrated and captivated me in equal measure. We were privy to the thoughts of each of our key characters, and the way it was organised hinted heavily at something significant. I felt the noose tightening round certain characters, and was convinced that we were going to have to witness something awful. But then it ended, with us left none the wiser as to the outcome for each character. A bold move, but rather frustrating!