The Bee Sting By Paul Murray: A Book Review

Booker Prize Made Me Do It

The header is a bit misleading. Was The Bee Sting shortlisted in the Booker Prize 2023 lineup? Yes.

Did booktok recommend the novel to me and I didn't want another header with the word 'booktok' in it? Yes.

Which leads us right back to the Booker Prize made me do it! And by do it, I mean listen to the audiobook while I cleaned the house. Let's just say the kitchen is spotless after this one.

If you're curious whether this story won the prize, the answer is no, but you can always go read Prophet Song by another author named Paul. Paul Lynch in fact. But that doesn't mean The Bee Sting, along with the other runner ups, didn't deserve the win.

Overview of The Bee Sting

The Bee Sting is a multicharacter story following the individual lives of the Barnes clan. The family goes from living the good life to quickly struggling after the economic downfall in Ireland. But was the good life really that good before? Are the choices they're making now able to keep the family together even thru the trying times? See what Cass, PJ, Dickie, and Imelda think of each other after the trials and tribulations they face individually and as a family.

The Cons of The Bee Sting

· Main Character Overlaps

Each family member is considered a main character. As such, they each get their own large sections of the novel focusing on their individual problems. In doing so, you don’t see very many scenes of the family being together or points of backstory where they are in fact a family. Instead, it feels very individualized giving the overall plot less dynamic as they fall deeper into despair.

· PJ

The book follows the Barnes family over a span of a few years which means you witness the kids grow and become more involved to real life situations. Even still, PJ is the youngest child which means much of his story is cut short as his upcomings aren’t as dire compared to his older sister and parents. I would've loved to have seen more of his side of the story as it felt it could have been expanded.

The Pros of The Bee Sting

· Setting

I think this might be the first time I’ve ever mentioned this in a review, but I loved that this story took place in Ireland. It brought a gritty realness to the plot I don’t think could have been executed if set somewhere else. It brought a breath of fresh air I otherwise may not have liked as much.

· Each Characters Background

Throughout the book we get large sections of each of the family members. This allows for there to be scenes in the current as well as added backstory giving the reader the idea of who this character is as a whole. As the story moves forward we see those sections become smaller and smaller as the family becomes more intertwined leading up to one defining moment which ties everything together.

· Length

This book is hefty! Over 600 pages in fact. BUT, even still, the story didn’t feel like a long read and instead flew by.

· An array of topics

Because each family member is going through their own trials and tribulations we see an array of topics in this book including coming of age, cheating, sex trafficking, blackmail, the list is truly endless. Each one of these topics having enough spotlight to be a main focus when needed. Having all these in one book elevated the story to a whole new level.

Overall Review Summary

The Bee Sting is a lovely book I think deserved to be on the Booker Prize list. Even if it did get runner up.

From fleshed out characters you really got to know through large plot points, to the perfect setting of a book, to hard hitting topics this story really has it all. It’s a quick read that you will think about again and again even if you haven’t read it in years.

Even the cover represents the story well specifically focusing on one turning point in the story some people may not pick up on(even the UK version).

Overall, I would give this 5 out of 5 stars.

Tell me in the comments below the last booktok book you read. If you're wanting a 5-star read, I highly suggest checking out my reviews for AGGGTM, Once There Were Wolves, or Where the Crawdads Sing.