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anusha_reads 's review for:
The Bee Sting
by Paul Murray
BOOK 5: THE BEE STING by PAUL MURRAY #bookerprize2023
“IN THE NEXT TOWN OVER, A MAN HAD KILLED HIS FAMILY” These are the opening lines of the 600-plus-page book.
It’s a family saga which talks about Dikie, a car dealer, his beautiful wife Imelda and their children Cass and PJ. Cass is about to graduate and is keen on joining college and PJ, amazed by science, is always quoting facts like “DID YOU KNOW THAT THE FIRST PART OF THE HUMAN BODY TO FORM IN THE WOMB IS THE ANUS?”.
The author describes the plight of every family member and the thoughts they go through while talking about their past and present. It is a wild concoction of family ties, sacrifices, love, hatred, despair and disappointments. On one hand, the author talks about Dikie being a father who was fun and would read LORD OF THE RINGS to his kids and in another moment there is a complete disconnect.
The book is set in Ireland in the wake of the 2008 recession. Imelda being bitten and smitten by the buying bug worries about what she might miss out on or what she might have to sell off. Cass worries about her college admission, while PJ thinks that his parents might divorce. Subsequently, Dikie runs away to the woods to build a shelter for some apocalypse.
It encapsulates the struggles of the father (Dikie), his sacrifices, his helplessness, and his guilt which makes him a pitiable character.
I was in a quandary, trying to get acclimatized to the non-grammatical chunk of the book, which was devoid of commas, full-stops and semicolons and one had to just understand that the sentence had ended or begun. Then again there was a sudden change; it shifted to the second-person narrative. I found it interesting that by pushing the boundaries of traditional storytelling the author created such a unique writing style and depicts his creative brilliance.
Do all families bring out the best in you? Do families help you get through troubled times? Are families synonymous with unconditional love? Can one feel lonely even when he/she has a family? Is the current era the age of humans or the age of loneliness?
Read this epic to know what happens!
“IN THE NEXT TOWN OVER, A MAN HAD KILLED HIS FAMILY” These are the opening lines of the 600-plus-page book.
It’s a family saga which talks about Dikie, a car dealer, his beautiful wife Imelda and their children Cass and PJ. Cass is about to graduate and is keen on joining college and PJ, amazed by science, is always quoting facts like “DID YOU KNOW THAT THE FIRST PART OF THE HUMAN BODY TO FORM IN THE WOMB IS THE ANUS?”.
The author describes the plight of every family member and the thoughts they go through while talking about their past and present. It is a wild concoction of family ties, sacrifices, love, hatred, despair and disappointments. On one hand, the author talks about Dikie being a father who was fun and would read LORD OF THE RINGS to his kids and in another moment there is a complete disconnect.
The book is set in Ireland in the wake of the 2008 recession. Imelda being bitten and smitten by the buying bug worries about what she might miss out on or what she might have to sell off. Cass worries about her college admission, while PJ thinks that his parents might divorce. Subsequently, Dikie runs away to the woods to build a shelter for some apocalypse.
It encapsulates the struggles of the father (Dikie), his sacrifices, his helplessness, and his guilt which makes him a pitiable character.
I was in a quandary, trying to get acclimatized to the non-grammatical chunk of the book, which was devoid of commas, full-stops and semicolons and one had to just understand that the sentence had ended or begun. Then again there was a sudden change; it shifted to the second-person narrative. I found it interesting that by pushing the boundaries of traditional storytelling the author created such a unique writing style and depicts his creative brilliance.
Do all families bring out the best in you? Do families help you get through troubled times? Are families synonymous with unconditional love? Can one feel lonely even when he/she has a family? Is the current era the age of humans or the age of loneliness?
Read this epic to know what happens!