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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
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
squintyfarmer's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Grief, and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual assault, Car accident, Murder, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Child abuse, Classism, and Death
Minor: Pedophilia and Vomit
lidenek's review
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Death
annuhnuh's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Rape, and Sexual assault
swordsmith's review
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
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
baileyana's review
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Homophobia, and Violence
amandaredinger's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Homophobia, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Violence
Minor: Pedophilia, Pregnancy, and Car accident
mtferal's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It's a quintessentially Irish story about a family hurtling towards a collapse that could be avoided if they were simply honest with one another. I loved the way the characters were laid out from each others' perspectives, and how the shift in those perspectives filled in the gaps of each other's understandings and made each of their situations more relatable. At times it felt like Jonathan Franzen's "The Corrections" if it was written by an author who wasn't such an asshole and clearly loved his characters.
To address some points from other reviews-- yes, it's long. I didn't feel it overstayed its welcome, or dragged on too long in any direction before switching to a different character or plot thread. There is indeed a 100+ page stretch with no punctuation, but there aren't any quotation marks on dialogue to begin with, and proper capitalization is maintained so I found it easy to follow. I thought this contributed to an overall dreamlike feeling that made that section particularly memorable, especially since it lays out much of the core trauma that drives the engine of the story.
I really can't recommend this one enough. It went down easier than a 600+ page book about Irish family trauma should. The ending is ambiguous but thought-provoking, and I bet a re-read would be rewarded with tons of details that foreshadow the author's true intent.
To address some points from other reviews-- yes, it's long. I didn't feel it overstayed its welcome, or dragged on too long in any direction before switching to a different character or plot thread. There is indeed a 100+ page stretch with no punctuation, but there aren't any quotation marks on dialogue to begin with, and proper capitalization is maintained so I found it easy to follow. I thought this contributed to an overall dreamlike feeling that made that section particularly memorable, especially since it lays out much of the core trauma that drives the engine of the story.
I really can't recommend this one enough. It went down easier than a 600+ page book about Irish family trauma should. The ending is ambiguous but thought-provoking, and I bet a re-read would be rewarded with tons of details that foreshadow the author's true intent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Rape, Sexual assault, and Homophobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Gun violence, and Car accident
Minor: Bullying, Pedophilia, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
mollyfmurphy's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
3.25
Overall, a smartly crafted story with flawed, interesting characters that will keep you invested. The writing and stylistic choices felt clunky and forced at times, and were often more distracting than they were successful in developing a voice for the characters.
The handling of Dickie’s sexuality felt all wrong to me; it came out of nowhere in a way that felt totally unrealistic, though it did eventually sort of level out and of course ends up being a driving force in his motivation.
The introduction of other characters’ perspectives in the final pages of the novel felt like a cheap device to make for an overly dramatic ending, though I’ll admit it keeps you reading.
The introduction of other characters’ perspectives in the final pages of the novel felt like a cheap device to make for an overly dramatic ending, though I’ll admit it keeps you reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Pedophilia
aburnss's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Bee Sting is a book that explores complex family dynamics and the deep flaws that lurk beneath the surface of a seemingly normal family. With that being said, this was a book with a plot that was a bit outside of my comfort zone. I need to stop picking up books with major rape plot lines. Other major themes included alcoholism, closeted affairs, blackmail, and grooming / near pedophilia to name some of the more sinister hidden secrets. While these major issues were well written they made me dislike almost every character for their values and behaviors.
The writing structure of the book was interesting. We follow the perspective of each family member (daughter, son, mother, father) for a long dedicated section of the book and then switch between all characters as their stories converge and the plot thickens. This style was well done and created depth with each character, although I'll admit I forgot much of Cass's story by the time we circled back to her since the book is so long.
I also appreciated the way that the narrative style changed with each character, especially Imelda's sections written without any punctuation. I would consider this a stylistically clever novel.
With that being said, there were several elements of the book that pulled me out of it and left me dissatisfied. Due to the major flaws in all the characters, I didn't find myself rooting for any of them. They all make disgusting and horrible choices and while they can be understood by the backstories of the characters I still didn't like the characters as people. Additionally, it felt like the book was trying too hard to be progressive withtwo family members being gay and too many graphic sex scenes for my preference . I wouldn't necessarily mind that in itself, but the sexuality of those characters ended up being the driving point of their entire storylines which felt tedious.
One of the best parts of the book was the ending. The way that the narratives startswitching between characters in paragraphs rather than chapters as things come to a head had me on the edge of my seat and I loved that the book ended with a slightly open-ended conclusion of not knowing if Dickie mistakenly shoots the kids, but all the foreshadowing of the novel leading one to conclude that is more than likely what happens . The way that the characters own flaws and decisions catch up to them was satisfying rather than tragic to me as their series of horrible decisions left a poor taste in my mouth. The way that Imelda finally chooses against her affair by remembering that her and Dickie are together in life for the kids right before Dickie mistakenly shoots the kids thinking they were his blackmailer was brilliant. Especially as we simultaneously learn that her affair partner was likely just killed. The two most innocent characters dying for the grave mistakes of their parents was impactful.
I may think back on this book in the future for the amazing conclusion, but I really didn't enjoy reading it for the majority of the story. If you don't mind reading books where key elements of the plot revolve aroundthe character's sexuality and you don't mind graphic sex / rape scenes then you might enjoy the morally grey (dark grey?) characters and the payoff in the final ~15% of the book.
The writing structure of the book was interesting. We follow the perspective of each family member (daughter, son, mother, father) for a long dedicated section of the book and then switch between all characters as their stories converge and the plot thickens. This style was well done and created depth with each character, although I'll admit I forgot much of Cass's story by the time we circled back to her since the book is so long.
I also appreciated the way that the narrative style changed with each character, especially Imelda's sections written without any punctuation. I would consider this a stylistically clever novel.
With that being said, there were several elements of the book that pulled me out of it and left me dissatisfied. Due to the major flaws in all the characters, I didn't find myself rooting for any of them. They all make disgusting and horrible choices and while they can be understood by the backstories of the characters I still didn't like the characters as people. Additionally, it felt like the book was trying too hard to be progressive with
One of the best parts of the book was the ending. The way that the narratives start
I may think back on this book in the future for the amazing conclusion, but I really didn't enjoy reading it for the majority of the story. If you don't mind reading books where key elements of the plot revolve around
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Minor: Pedophilia