Book Review - The History Of Bees by Maja Lunde

'In order to live in nature, with nature, we must detach ourselves from the nature in ourselves...' 

I really enjoyed this. Eventually. The History of Bees tells three separate stories, all intrinsically linked by bees, weaving through a combination of future dystopian, historical fiction and contemporary literature. William is...

This was such an interesting and unique concept. I've read family sagas before, which manage to weave the story of generations of families together, but I've never read anything with such a wide scope of history centred around bees. I have to say I enjoyed Tao's story the most. The future dystopian world was well described and unique (yet ultimately also scary in its similarity to 'real life'). Right from the start I liked Tao and her family unit, and I was intrigued to learn more about her world.

William's story, although a slow burner in the beginning, picks up about 40% when the issues with his son Edmund become apparent, and he begins his research. Though I found him a little naive about his son's 'problems', and at times just plain stupid. His development of the hive without actually looking at any research before hand - knowing he was a previous academic, was something a self described 'learned man' wouldn't do. No wonder his mentor is so disparaging.

Seeing as I don't read much contemporary fiction, it came as no surprise that I didn't really enjoy George's story until about 2/3rds in. I found the pacing slow, and it was very much about familial relations, particularly between father and son, rather than the bees. I also found George quite patronising at times, although I think this was down to his portrayal as a salts of the earth farmer, without any appreciation for things other than the survival of his business. As his story started to link into Tao's, and then William's, it became infinitely better and also helped to broaden my understanding of Tao's future. It also served as a good bridge between Tao and William' stories.

I do think it's Tao's story that makes this a 4* review for me. Her story was very fast paced and full of suspense. The scenes in the hospital and in the unsafe districts were harrowing, and I was constantly rushing through the following chapters to get back to her story. If it wasn't for this pace I might have given up on the book, but I'm so glad I persevered.

The eventual unravelling of the stories and how they are all linked was beautifully done. From George reminiscing in his desolate fields and his destruction of the charts, to Tao reading in the library and her presentation of The History of Bees, I thought the conclusions were wonderfully done and interlinked marvellously. This was a lovely, yet sometimes scarily real, imaginative story.

 - 4 Stars