The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

Wednesday, May 1, 2024--San Antonio

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and named a Top Ten book of the year by the New York Times and the Washington Post.  It is a long (650+ pages) and complicated novel filled with secrets, lies, high expectations on others, abuse, business failures, crimes, failed relationships, etc.  Readers who do not enjoy a story that spirals downwards from the beginning to the end, should probably skip this one.  It is filled with moments that will create tension for the reader more and more as time passes.  It takes place in Ireland and spans approximately 20 years with occasional moments of memories from earlier than that.  All the characters have their flaws (although often hidden) and as the reader you will likely want to yell at them when they are making poor decisions in life.  It is built around the lives of a wealthy family who owns the Volkswagon dealership in the town.  The owner is at retirement age.  He has two young sons--the younger one who is the star football player and a promising salesman because of his personality and the older one who leads a quieter and more studious life with plans to go to Trinity College in Dublin.  The younger son actually takes care of his older brother in school when he is teased or bullied.  The father has chosen the older one to eventually take over the business.  But there is another family, a very poor one, in town with a daughter who is the most beautiful of the secondary school female students and is scheming to live a more glamorous life.  Unfortunately, life in her home with an alcoholic father and 3 older brothers is not easy, so she lives with an aunt.  The book follows the lives of the members of two families.  It tells the same stories from different perspectives so that what you have learned happened at one point in the book is altered later with input with someone else.  It is a fascinating and interesting story, but I did not find it to be an enjoyable read.  The downward spiral of the lives of the characters through poor decisions just created too many tense moments for me as the reader.  I gave the book 4 stars out of 5.