Well, this was a fascinating book indeed. Opinion was divided, but not to polar extremes – we mostly all found it a good read, although I definitely feel the women in the group preferred it to the male contingent. But perhaps it is ironic that I am stereotyping here, in a book that so obviously challenges stereotypes?
The story centres around a murder, a mother, her son and a trans girl. The central themes are relationships and love. As you can possibly imagine, it weaves a complex plot and the best thing it did was to provoke a great deal of discussion about gender and sexuality. We even got around to debating sport and transgender participants, considering prejudices and arguments about this topic.
I enjoyed the book, but if I and the others had one main criticism, it was that there were too many current issues crammed into one story. Picoult does tend to do this – provoke discussion about difficult or challenging topics, but this one seems a little like an episode of Eastenders with everything possible happening in one novel. If I were to be cynical, I’d think that the author had considered the selling potential of these hot topics – abuse, gender, teen crime, divorce, rivalry, (even covid was mentioned!) However, she certainly managed to raise awareness and educate readers nevertheless. It’s worth a read.
I guessed who the murderer was right from the start, but I read it anyway. My favourite parts though, (and this also from he male perspective) were the facts about the bees! Now I really learned something there. (I guess the bee analogy was connected with the human relationships and behaviours…) For instance, did you know what ‘Mad Honey’ is? Mad Honey is made from the nectar of Rhododendrons and found in Nepal or Turkey. It can be medicinal, but it can also be toxic and can cause hallucinations. It is extremely rare. But, (like the narcissistic and abusive father in the story) it is extremely sweet. Both father figures were very negative characters in the book I noted, but there abusive natures sprung from different sources. One was unable to accept his son’s transition; the other was a narcissist and domestic abuser. It also considered genetic characteristics and personality traits. Yes, the psychology was interesting. considering gender, sexuality and personality and what that really means was indeed interesting.
I have no doubt of Picoult’s ability to write an interesting and provocative story. I have read a few of her books before. This was not my favourite, but I didn’t dislike it.
Virginia Betts 