Author: Sarah Crossan
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Year of release: 2020
Genre: Modern & Contemporary Fiction General Fiction
Release Date: 1st September 2020
Rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Synopsis
Ana Kelly can deal with death. As an estate lawyer, an unfortunate part of her day-to-day is phone calls from the next of kin informing her that one of her clients has died. But nothing could have prepared Ana for the call from Rebecca Taylor, explaining in a strangely calm tone that her husband Connor was killed in an accident.
Ana had been having an affair with Connor for three years, keeping their love secret in hotel rooms, weekends away, and swiftly deleted text messages. Though consuming, they hide their love well, and nobody knows of their relationship except Mark, Connor’s best friend.
Alone and undone, Ana seeks friendship with the person who she once thought of as her adversary and opposite, but who is now the only one who shares her pain — Rebecca. As Ana becomes closer to her lover’s widow, she is forced to reconcile painful truths about the affair, and the fickleness of love and desire.
Review
Ana Kelly an estate lawyer has come to deal with death on a day-to-day basis, her clients next of kin call to inform her of their passing. One morning Ana receives a call she could never have prepared for Rebecca Taylor has called to say that her husband Conor has passed, this wouldn’t be such a loss or shock to Ana had she not shared one thing in common with Mrs Rebecca Taylor …. the love of Connor Taylor.
Ana and Conor had been having an affair for the past three years managing to keep it hidden from their perspective’s others.
At a loss without Conor Ana seeks a companion with the one person who should be her opposition but now is the only one who shares and can even understand the pain Ana is now faced with.
Can Ana face some painful truths about the affair she and Connor shared? Can she learn to live in a world where he is no longer even though the last words, they shared just days before were angry ones? Can she bare to rebuild the previous life she so willingly destroyed?
“I want him to tell me that our love shattered you.
I want him to tell me that if you were alive
you would have picked me
eventually.”
― Sarah Crossan, Here Is the Beehive
There was something about the title and the cover that immediately had me eager to read upon opening this book. I soon realised although something may appear beautiful and put together from the outside doesn’t mean it isn’t flawed and fractured on the inside.
The other selling point for this reader was that the plotline felt somewhat fresh, as it wasn’t a love story nor was it happily ever after for anyone involved, it is flawed, it’s fractured and life is often all of those things.
“Here is the beehive
Where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees.
Watch and you’ll see them
come out of the hive.
One, two, three, four, five!”
― Sarah Crossan, Here Is the Beehive
In the beginning I appreciated that Here is the Beehive is written in verse as I’ve not read a book written in verse before, although at times as I neared the centre of this story I wished it was made clearer sooner, certain details such as location or just whom was speaking to whom. It felt at times I often wondered when reading this book, if it could’ve been improved had this book been told using dual perspectives past and present. Rather than the use of internal dialog.
I can’t say I felt a connection to these characters, but I do believe I wasn’t supposed to, given I believed it was a fractured connection. I can’t help but feel for Ana for the most part doesn’t seek connection or approval thus she comes off cold and somewhat selfish to this reader.
My continued thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for sending this copy in exchange for an honest option.