The Death of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell

Nelly

“Birds keep chirping and music keeps playing.  Life continues as another life ebbs away.

We have seen death before, Marnie and I, a mountain of ice melting over time, drops of water freezing at your core reminding you every day of that which has vanished, but the despair we know today is a sadness sailing sorrow through every bone and knuckle.

There is no moment in which we say good-bye, there is no finality as he slips into peacefulness, he simply leaves us, and though I seek courage when he passes I am weakened by tears, but I must hide them for he leaves us a lie to conceal, a lie he sent to save us.”

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I received this book from the author, whom I would like to thank greatly for sharing her story with me!  I gave this book 5 stars!

“Today is my birthday. Today I am fifteen. Today I buried my parents in the backyard.” So begins Lisa O’Donnell’s novel about two sisters who find their parents dead and, instead of reporting it, decide to keep it a secret until they can make it on their own. The Death of Bees is not for the faint of heart, but it is a beautiful, haunting, coming of age tale that is far more sad than salacious. While it may shock many readers, it’s end point isn’t the shock value; there’s a deep, affecting story at the heart of The Death of Bees.

There are elements of mystery from the novel’s first lines:

Eugene Doyle. Born 19 June 1972. Died 17 December 2010, aged thirty-eight. Isabel Anne Macdonald. Born 24 May 1974. Died 18 December 2010, aged thirty-six.

Today is Christmas Eve. Today is my birthday. Today I am fifteen. Today I buried my parents in the backyard.

Neither of them were beloved.

From here, the story unfolds as part mystery, part contemporary fiction, and part coming of age tale. Marnie and Nelly navigate their lives in some ways quite similar to how they have already been. They must outsmart their neighbors and those searching for their parents. They must learn who to trust. As Marnie and Nelly alternate first-person narratives, the reader slowly learns what happened to Eugene and Isabel. Some days feel quite ordinary for them as teens who can do what they like, while others test their loyalty, strength and will.

I highly recommend this one. I thought the writing was incredible and the story line was unique and original!

Keep an eye out as I will be featuring this author later this year! Also, I will be doing a giveaway to win a copy of this book! 😀