Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

35 reviews

theunfinishedbookshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Death, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug use, Animal death, Alcohol, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Violence, Pregnancy, Vomit, Fatphobia, and Ableism

noiraet's review against another edition

challenging sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia and Domestic abuse

lidenek's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

643 pages of family drama that leads to a non ending … nope. Not my jam. Well and uniquely written but I hate it when books end “mysteriously” especially when that tension in the last 40 pages was the most excitement I’d had reading the ENTIRE book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Death

swordsmith's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Domestic abuse, Death, and Car accident

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Bullying, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Homophobia, Violence, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Drug use

carlytenille's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Drug use, Homophobia, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, and Grief

cristinaaa's review

challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Alcoholism

jessiedoodah's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Alcoholism, and Death

Moderate: Classism, Misogyny, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual assault

misscaitie's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

Barely finished it. 600 pages of misery

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, and Bullying

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Infidelity, Cursing, Stalking, Death, and Dementia

Minor: Gaslighting, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Violence, Addiction, and Biphobia

gvstyris's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

So many of the bad things that happen in the world come from people pretending to be something they’re not. 

The Bee Sting depicts a family on the brink of collapse, its four members incapable of emotional vulnerability and ravaged by years of shame and trauma. It is devastating how little the POV characters know about one-another, especially the married couple, Dickie and Imelda.

The consideration of these four perspectives is where much of The Bee Sting's genius lies. Cass and PJ's two-dimensional perception of their parents' beliefs and ambitions, for example, is challenged as soon as we reach Imelda's first chapter. I was surprised by how convincingly Murray writes each character, portraying both women and younger voices with sensitivity and understanding. Each perspective adds something to the overall narrative, and I particularly enjoyed delving into Dickie's psyche.

Murray's prose also plays an important role in this novel's success. Imelda's chapters are written without punctuation, offering the reader a stream-of-consciousness that seems to mirror her anxiety and disorientation with her life's trajectory. That being said, I did listen to the audiobook and would recommend it for a more seamless reading experience -- a couple of Murray's stylistic choices would likely have bugged me without it. I also loved how each section decreases in length as the novel progresses, slowly building the tension as it becomes clearer and clearer that the Barnes' family is irreparably damaged. Similarly, the symbolism here is beautiful: the squirrels, Imelda's fairytales, the bee sting itself. 

Given that this book is a 650 page marathon, it delves into too many other themes to summarise here. The discussion around climate anxiety and human destruction also stuck with me, as well as the religious guilt that underpins much of Dickie's (and Imelda's, I suppose) struggle. I will be thinking about the ending for a long time, but am definitely a believer that

the novel's opening lines foreshadow its conclusion. There is something suitably tragic about the catharsis of Dickie committing suicide after unintentionally shooting the two children.

On a pettier note, though, I was slightly tempted to take half a star off because

the names of the two gay men are Dickie and Willie :sob:

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Grief, and Rape

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Dementia, and Alcohol

Minor: Car accident, Vomit, and Lesbophobia

dahlialover's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Very complicated book with intertwining stories that focus on the hardship of being human and living in this world. Relationships are fraught and never really honest. I like how the author incorporates elements of Irish folklore (visions, fortune telling) into the story. I did become obsessed with the storyline and find myself rooting for various characters as the story progresses. A few things didn’t work for me but don’t want to include any spoilers. The ending is somewhat disappointing but perhaps that was the only way forward. Would definitely recommend 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Death

Moderate: Homophobia