The Bee Sting

The novel delves into the question of whether a single moment of bad luck can change the direction of a life and if it is still possible to find a happy ending if the story has already been written. Each section presents a member's point of view, and the portions are layered, providing more background to the full story.

Despite their fall from grace, the Barnes family is unforgettable, and their story is expertly told. Murray balances humor and tragedy, perfectly pacing the story, and providing a delicately balanced tale of a dysfunctional family. Readers who enjoy dark humor and stories about flawed families will appreciate “The Bee Sting.”

Ireland, history, and a whole lot of family drama—entirely what I expected and a lot more. By the end, all the foreshadowing was getting clearer and clearer, and I was on my feet because I could see the tragedy a mile ahead.

THAT ENDING??!!

We begin the story through the eyes of Cass, the elder daughter, with her exam stress, growing pains, and complicated friendship with Elaine. Already there is the chaos with the failing business of her father Dickie, and the pressure it puts on the dysfunctional relationship with her mother Imelda. Then there's PJ, the younger brother who's struggling to cope with all the changes but is trying to make himself as unobtrusive as possible. Imelda and Dickie's marriage is a strange blend of trauma, obligation, thwarted desires, repeated mistakes but also a strong sense of family.

Anxiety about impending doom and decline due to change - climate, financial, technological, and even spiritual - serves as a backdrop to the novel's themes of generational trauma and familial bonds. There are things left unsaid and abandoned, and these silences fester into something septic.

At its core The Bee Sting is a family drama, but it read like a thriller. There was a constant tension, an unease that refused to let go until the very last page, and even then, it lingered. Having read Murray's Skippy Dies a few years ago, I found his style unmistakable, with the layered storytelling and connections through time and perspective, that left me speechless by the end.

This book was a triumph and it should be perfect for book club. I have to admit that I had to make myself slog through the first two characters' sections because it was just so sad and a bit slow, but then it picked up a lot as it moved to the adults. The ending was ... wow! I don't know if I can wholeheartedly recommend this book because of all the heavy themes – climate, generational trauma, domestic abuse, economic decline, and gun violence – but if you can make it through that, the book does reward you with much food for thought and a new and profound compassion.

There is an interesting juxtaposition, of sorts, whereas this is a story that takes place over a short period of time but also takes the reader on an extremely thorough (and engaging) journey with the family at the center of it.  The first act is a deep exploration/introduction/origin story to each of the characters, but these are also cleverly woven into setting the foundational plot points that will be integral later.  The bridge between the beginning and the surprisingly explosive ending include the exploration of themes like self-worth, identity, and fear of the unknown while also proving that you really never know what is happening (or has happened) behind someone's mask.  This one is also elevated by the fact that it avoids some of the common tropes and brings pieces together in a very deliberate and diligent way that makes the reveals and additional context even more impactful as it is layered in over the quick-paced final third. 

This was a different kind of read for me. I can say I appreciated the characters and their struggles. I don't know if I like the style of how this was written. I felt a little lost sometimes with how this was structured. I will say for me this one I will probably be reading again to see if I could get a little more out of it and think about it from another perspective.

This seems like a book you'd either love or give up on.

The Bee Sting has some of the best character development I've ever read - each section gives you surprising insight into the family members and shows how the their individual context, personality, and voice impact their interpretation of events.

At the same time, it's a slow read, even factoring in that it's a long book. The toughest part to read (but still genuinely interesting) is a section told in stream of consciousness with no punctuation. Even as the tension rises, events unfold painfully slowly. And the ending....oof.

But if you're willing to take your time and can accept the book's flaws, the good aspects of the book are so strong that I still feel like this warrants 4.75 stars.

A big, meaty family story packed with incident and feeling. I've been knocked out with COVID this week and something like The Bee Sting was exactly what I needed. Alternating POVs from each member of the family with steadily smaller and smaller chonks for each of them. The audiobook really made this a seamless and unputdownable experience. Shades of A Little Life, I Know This Much Is True, that kinda thing, so BE WARNED. My BOTY.

The Bee Sting is a story that we use to gloss over the most important thing in our lives, which we will never ever talk about.

There is no doubt: This is a five-star book. The Bee Sting has everything a modern reader wants in fiction including strongly compelling characters, impossible situations, and a realistic setting. There are secrets that hide other secrets that hide other secrets. The characters have nowhere to rest their weary heads. It's a dismal, grim, gritty, bleak, horrific book, and it is completely believable.

So. Do I recommend this book?

If you like dismal, grim, gritty, bleak, and horrific, I strongly recommend it.

If you are like me, however, and a book like this lingers in your gut like bad oysters, you might pass on reading it. I finished it days ago, and still, I feel a little queasy when I think about it.

So far this is my favorite from the Booker longlist, but I've still got several more to get through.

I'll come back and say more, but I'll say now that I really thought most of this book was absolutely amazing, but I do agree with the many who were disappointed with the ending. Still, a very engaging read.

This isn't funny like Paul Murrays's previous books, but it's not supposed to be, as far as I can tell anyway. It's a big state of the nation book, reflecting contemporary Ireland, city and small town, through the lens of one family. Murray has a fantastic knack of getting in people's heads, and the different narrative voices here are all superbly done. It's a terrific book, right up until the last page, where events have been building and coming together in an excellently orchestrated set piece...and then it just stops, literally seconds before a resolution. I can see that there's a literary point to be made by doing so, but from a storytelling perspective it is unbelievably annoying. If I'd been reading a physical copy it'd have been yeeted across the room.

Wow! What a book. I absolutely loved it even as the last 30 pages had me stressfully reading passages and then looking at the next page then jumping back because I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen. And the ending just leaves you with your heart in your throat. The structure mimics pulling a bow taut and then letting the arrow fly.

If you're not a fan of unique syntax and punctuation (e.g. no quotation marks, no full stops in certain sections), this book will probably not land for you. Unsure of how the audio will be.

This was my first book by Paul Murray and it won't be the last. Glad I sprung for the UK edition!