Bee Season: A Novel (Paperback)

There are no easy resolutions to their problems and the novel does not end with loose ends tied up neatly like most novels do -- the problems continue. The mysticism element of the novel may strike some as odd, but it adds a particular brand of magic realism that I like. Perhaps the aforementioned factors are the reasons why many readers dislike this novel. But it would be a shame not to give this wonderful piece of work a whirl. Bee Season is a marvelous novel written by a talented young writer. Myla Goldberg's writing is beautiful, her characters real and compelling. It took me a long time to give this novel a whirl. I am glad I did!

Using the spelling bees as a metaphor to life and making it the cause of a familiar cataclysm only enhances the great experience of reading "Bee Season". I wasn't sure of what to expect from this novel when I picked, but after a couple of pages, anyone can realize to be in front of a talented writer. Not only has Goldberg an ability to create human and flawed characters that come to life in every page, but she also has a beautiful use of the language.

The narrative has a couple of twists that come very naturally due to the fact that the writer has developed them from the beginning. We know that the Naumanns won't end up in the same way they began, and that they'll be through lots of changes and difficult experiences. By the way, this is the point of writing and reading a novel. Why should we care about people's whose lives stand still for 400 pages?

More than a coming-of-age story, "Bee Season" is a deep look into the contemporary dysfunctional family, and the role that education and religion play with its members. Western and Eastern religions are present in this narrative and have an important function. Their battle is one of the central turmoil of the novel, bringing characters against each other, setting a familiar chaos.

One of the most beautiful characters is the mother, Miriam. She is the one who brings a central twist to the narrative. But she is so well developed that when all her problems come up, they don't sound gratuitous, rather, they are real and sad.

Every member of this family has a serious issue to deal with. But mostly the children have to suffer the consequences of their parents' choices. And when this happening, it is devastating. With "Bee Season" Goldberg is able to drawn into a lake explored to exhaustion, and she manages to climb to the surface alive and full of originality. Her characters go downer and downer and still manage to keep their humanity; and this is something rare in a book nowadays.

A quick summary of "Bee Season" may put off some readers, but it shouldn't. At first the subject --the spelling bees --may sound childish, but once the central turmoil --the family falling apart -- is set, the book goes to deep emotional issues with integrity and beauty making this a jewel of novel.