![]() The Bees is published by Fourth Estate (£8.99). Through imagining what it is like to be a bee, the novel ends up reflecting on what a marvel it is to simply be – cutting to the heart of existence as it pits the perils of extinction against the fierce instinct to survive. Nevertheless, the lyrical prose holds the attention, for this is a novel that delights in language, savouring words with the same relish with which Flora rolls honey on her tongue. Paull is also a playwright and there are moments of real dramatic tension, although the plot doesn’t always maintain a steady pace and at times breaks the bounds of believability. ![]() ![]() It isn’t only sweetness but bitterness that seeps through the bees’ lives as environmental catastrophe threatens their very survival. Her debut novel, The Bees, was nominated for the 2015 Baileys Womens Prize for Fiction. The bees can smell emotions, making this novel a richly evocative feast for the senses. ![]() As well as conjuring the complex hum and throb of the hive, Laline Paull crafts a sticky matrix of emotion, for these bees feel, and Flora’s feelings are palpable. ![]()
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