Description
‘This book is just sublime… I loved every page’ CAITRIONA BALFE
‘Unmissable … Incredible’ STYLIST
‘Amazing …
I read it in one sitting, completely swept up in Ana’s fragmented narrative’ EMMA HEALEY
‘Dark, riveting, powerful’ ELIZABETH DAY
‘One of our most original writers. Sarah has almost created an entirely new form of writing in her novels that is hers and hers alone’ JOHN BOYNE
Ana and Connor have been having an affair for three years. In hotel rooms and coffee shops, swiftly deleted texts and briefly snatched weekends, they have built a world with none but the two of them in it.
But then the unimaginable happens, and Ana finds herself alone, trapped inside her secret. How can we lose someone the world never knew was ours? How do we grieve for something no one else can ever find out? In her desperate bid for answers, Ana seeks out the shadowy figure who has always stood just beyond her reach – Connor’s wife Rebecca. Peeling away the layers of two overlapping marriages, Here is the Beehive is a devastating excavation of risk, obsession and loss.
Sara Scott –
Beautiful book written in verse. Very emotive topic written in a sensitive and charming way. I didn’t want to set this down at all but was devastated when it finished. Young adult but I think will be enjoyed by those who may be older than this (I certainly loved it and am a fair bit outside of the YA age bracket)
Toni Broom –
“All I have of us is one password-protected photo,
proof that once we pressed our faces together and smiled.
Other than that,
Mark is our witness.”
Overview
Written in verse Here Is The Beehive tells the story of Ana, a woman struggling to come to terms with the death of Connor – the man she has been having an affair with for over three years. As desperation hits, Ana seeks out the person that has always stood between herself and Connor – his wife Rebecca.
My Thoughts
Prior to reading Here Is The Beehive I had heard great reviews which pushed it straight to the top of my TBR pile for 2021 and what a strong start.
I devoured this book in two sittings, always curious to discover what Ana would do next. Where would her obsession lead her? How many more risks would she take to find answers? When would she begin to see the truth?
I would like to point out that this book does not condone having an affair (which may be misconstrued from the blurb). It is instead the internal thoughts of Ana who is throughout discovering that her affair with Connor was anything but a fairytale. The toxicity of the affair and the negative consequences this has on her marriage and parenting are exposed. Ultimately Ana was consumed by Connor and in his death the only solace she hopes to find is that everything wasn’t a lie.
I found the stalking of Rebecca hard to read and I truly disliked Ana as a character. However the stalking was also believable, replacing one obsession for another until she realised that the affair and Connor were both toxic and destructive to everyone including herself.
“You were cruel. A liar.
You were never leaving.”