The Bees by Laline Paull

The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Hunger Games in this brilliantly imagined debut set in an ancient culture where only the queen may breed and deformity means death. Flora 717 is a sanitation worker, a member of the lowest caste in her orchard hive where work and sacrifice are the highest virtues and worship of the beloved Queen the only religion. But Flora is not like other bees. With circumstances threatening the hive’s survival, her curiosity is regarded as a dangerous flaw but her courage and strength are an asset. She is allowed to feed the newborns in the royal nursery and then to become a forager, flying alone and free to collect pollen. She also finds her way into the Queen’s inner sanctum, where she discovers mysteries about the hive that are both profound and ominous. But when Flora breaks the most sacred law of all—daring to challenge the Queen’s fertility—enemies abound, from the fearsome fertility police who enforce the strict social hierarchy to the high priestesses jealously wedded to power. Her deepest instincts to serve and sacrifice are now overshadowed by an even deeper desire, a fierce maternal love that will bring her into conflict with her conscience, her heart, her society—and lead her to unthinkable deeds. Thrilling, suspenseful and spectacularly imaginative, The Bees gives us a dazzling young heroine and will change forever the way you look at the world outside your window.

Really captivating, well-written story that anthropomorphized the bees only so much that I could understand them, but never to the point that I forgot this was a story about bees. It really made me think about the effects of group-think and religious fervor and the power of one willing to forge her own course. Definitely recommended.

“You have wings and courage and a brain. Do not annoy me by asking permission”

I originally bought this book just for the cover. I absolutely love bees and this is about as bee as you can get when it comes to books. This was one of the strangest books I have ever read. Think animal farm but for bees. Set in a bee hive, it is full of drama, high stakes and complex organisation that is incredible to read about. But there is a price to pay, stuck in a cult like environment built upon slavery, brain washing and secrets. Not only this but there are themes of religion as the queen is considered “divine” and the hive is expected to partake in daily rituals, prayers and even sacrifice. The bees also seem to worship death, even going so far as to call it the “Kindness”. Workers are regularly “given the kindness” for sins such as greed, desire, idleness and even deformity. They even wish and beg for it, especially if they think they have harmed the hive in any way.

The more I think about this book the more I am marvelled at the commentary woven throughout this book. This book was so interesting to witness the complexities of the world that Paull has created. There were certain moments where I was just laughing at how ridiculous some of the behaviours were (the drones if you've read it). I don't know how realistic it all is but if even a little bit is true then omg bees are messed up xD.

Not only did Paull touch upon the behaviours inside the hive, but also how the outside world effects it too. Whether its winter, other insects, animals and even technology, the hive was not having a good time at all. Paull tells of lack of freedom of speech, classism, slavery, eugenics and religious issues in such a beautiful way that it really makes you think at the end. It's such a powerful story showcasing the dark truth behind controlling states. I don't think I'll ever stop thinking about it.

I really don't know what I think of this book. I liked it, when I was reading it, but as soon as I put it down I had to force myself to pick it up again. If the protagonists had been people instead of bees you would have an average dystopian adventure. Using bees as the characters gave it more of a flavour of a children's book but with decidedly adult content. So here we are with a children's/coming of age/ dystopian/ecological themed book. Three stars for the content and a fourth because I love bees.

I should just say once again that despite what I have written this is NOT a book for children.

I was cautiously optimistic about this book, because I'd heard good things about it, but really? Bees? An entire book from the viewpoint of a worker bee? Even fictionalized, how much material is there really to work with?

SO MUCH.

My fears were completely ungrounded because this book is AMAZING. Flora 717 is a sanitation bee, tasked with taking dead bodies out of the hive, cleaning up wax cells after new bees have hatched, and other duties to keep the hive clean. Somewhat extraordinarily, it is discovered that she can produce the liquid needed to feed bee larva, and is taken to serve in the nursery for a bit, where she starts to develop a mind of her own.

As Flora develops new abilities and works her way through the ranks of the hive, we start to learn that something in the governing of the hive is not quite what it should be. Something is wrong. But the strictly enforced castes and other outside factors, like weather and predators, delay Flora's quest to ferret it out.

Between lying wasps, conniving spiders, and a conspiracy within the ranks of her own hive, Flora bounces from danger to danger trying to protect what she loves in an engrossing story of bravery and sacrifice.

I absolutely loved this book. I especially liked that anywhere possible, actual bee behavior was described and used to further the plot. This is definitely one of my favorite reads this year!

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.