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callum_mclaughlin 's review for:
The History of Bees
by Maja Lunde
This is an incredibly ambitious novel that manages to be an intimate tale of family, whilst also looking outwards to comment on the future of humanity at large.
We follow three main story threads at once: one set in the UK, 1852; one in the US, 2007; and one in China, 2098. Though they differ in location, character and plot, there are strong thematic and narrative parallels between all three. William, George and Tao's lives are all dominated in some way by the importance of their work involving bees and pollination, but they also all have big ambitions for their children, even if they can't always see the harm they cause by enforcing their own desires and expectations onto them. Indeed, our three protagonists are all realistically flawed, despite wanting what is best for both the bees and their families. The ways their stories are woven together - though I didn't personally find them all that surprising, in the end - did feel satisfyingly subtle and effective, rather than contrived. The multiple timelines also did well to reflect the timeless, universal nature of the struggles that come with parenthood, and the longevity of our vital bond with nature.
The trouble with multiple perspectives, however, is that one is almost always going to stand out as the strongest. And I must admit, I found William and George's sections a little slow going at first, leaving me eager to get back to Tao. I was, on the other hand, impressed that a book that is at once historical fiction, contemporary family drama, and futuristic dystopian could be balanced out and made to feel like one cohesive story, which it absolutely did.
In the difficulties her characters face, and the ways their stories are linked, Lunde asks us to consider what legacy we want to leave for our children on a personal level, but also what kind of world we want to leave for the next generation as a whole. Ultimately, she highlights how intimately our fate is tied to that of the bees, drawing beautiful parallels between them and us; reminding us that, like in the most successful hives, we must come together as one and work for the collective good if we are to survive.
I also always say that if a book has been translated well, you shouldn't be able to tell you aren't reading it in its original language, so props to Diane Oatley for the excellent translation from Norwegian.
We follow three main story threads at once: one set in the UK, 1852; one in the US, 2007; and one in China, 2098. Though they differ in location, character and plot, there are strong thematic and narrative parallels between all three. William, George and Tao's lives are all dominated in some way by the importance of their work involving bees and pollination, but they also all have big ambitions for their children, even if they can't always see the harm they cause by enforcing their own desires and expectations onto them. Indeed, our three protagonists are all realistically flawed, despite wanting what is best for both the bees and their families. The ways their stories are woven together - though I didn't personally find them all that surprising, in the end - did feel satisfyingly subtle and effective, rather than contrived. The multiple timelines also did well to reflect the timeless, universal nature of the struggles that come with parenthood, and the longevity of our vital bond with nature.
The trouble with multiple perspectives, however, is that one is almost always going to stand out as the strongest. And I must admit, I found William and George's sections a little slow going at first, leaving me eager to get back to Tao. I was, on the other hand, impressed that a book that is at once historical fiction, contemporary family drama, and futuristic dystopian could be balanced out and made to feel like one cohesive story, which it absolutely did.
In the difficulties her characters face, and the ways their stories are linked, Lunde asks us to consider what legacy we want to leave for our children on a personal level, but also what kind of world we want to leave for the next generation as a whole. Ultimately, she highlights how intimately our fate is tied to that of the bees, drawing beautiful parallels between them and us; reminding us that, like in the most successful hives, we must come together as one and work for the collective good if we are to survive.
I also always say that if a book has been translated well, you shouldn't be able to tell you aren't reading it in its original language, so props to Diane Oatley for the excellent translation from Norwegian.