The older I get, the less concerned I become with what kind of book I read – or in this case listen to. As a youngin who once knew everything, I only read certain types of stories – leaning towards the existential or manly, whatever that means.
But Secret Life of Bees was a revelation to me, much like To Kill A Mockingbird was. Bees is a book of wonderful poetry, and genius images. And what a journey it is. This is a well told, well crafted tale of a young woman’s coming of age, told in her voice. Even as Lilly makes choices we know are wrong, we can’t help but feel like she’s going to find a way to make it out okay. Fortunatley for her, she’s surrounded by people who have a lot to show her. The ever-so-generous August is one of my favorite characters of all time, if for no other reason than her wonderful humanity.
The plotting is also tremendous. Sue Monk Kidd takes us through all the steps, does not back down from any event that needs to occur, and does so with great economy and grace. I wish it could have gone on and on.
Sue Monk Kidd has written a tremendous novel. If you haven’t read it yet, you’re lucky because that’s something you have ahead of you. As I said, I listened to it, which was really a treat.
